


I'm Making Believe

by SkylarEQuinn



Series: InkVerse [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 18:02:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 51,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10195778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylarEQuinn/pseuds/SkylarEQuinn
Summary: InkVerse WWII Human AU. When Arthur Kirkland's wife dies in childbirth, he is left to raise his infant son on his own. Choosing alcohol over his young son who looks too painfully like his late wife, Arthur leaves the boy alone with a nanny. That is, until a young soldier named Alfred F. Jones appears and changes the way Arthur thinks.





	1. Chapter 1

July 1, 1936, London

Arthur Kirkland paced in his living room as doctors rushed to and from his bedroom. Curse those blasted in-home doctors! Yet she had repeatedly demanded not to go to a hospital. She had insisted on having as few people in the room as possible as she gave birth, insisting that Arthur stay in the living room, not wanting him to see her like that. Though he could hear her screams as clear as day.

His hands itched to open his bedroom door. He wanted to hold Mei's hand and tell her that everything will be okay. He wanted to assure her that nothing was going to wrong, which she had been so terrified of since the moment she had found out they would be getting a new addition.

Everything was like a blur. Arthur eventually drank a little rum to calm his nerves, which worked for a small while until the screams faded into the background. It was only when he heard a second, softer set of screams that the realization hit him. He was a father.

Mei's screams cut short moments later. They didn't fade. They didn't calm. They didn't quiet. They just stopped. Something was wrong.

Arthur was through that bedroom door within moments, still hearing the screams of the child, but looking wildly around for the mother. His eyes soon found her. His beautiful Mei was laying on the bed in a pool of blood. Her body was limp, eyes slightly opened but glazed over. Her chest neither rose nor fell.

He weakly stumbled over to her as if in a trance. "Mei," he mumbled to her, brushing his hand along her cheek. There was still some warmth, but he could feel the warmth leaving her body as his hand remained on her face. Arthur's emerald eyes filled with tears. This wasn't happening! This couldn't be happening! He was eighteen, for God's sake! He knew nothing about children!

The doctor stepped over behind Arthur. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kirkland. There was nothing we could do. It was sudden and unexpected."

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut. "Why?" he simply said, trying to control the fire of rage burning inside of him. "Why didn't you do anything for her?!" he shouted, whirling around on the doctor. "How the bloody hell could you have let this happen?!"

The doctor bowed his head. "There were more complications than you were aware of," he simply said. "Things she wished to remain secret." He took a deep breath and sighed. "She knew this would happen all along, yet didn't want you to worry. All she asked before the procedure was that you knew she loved you and that you take care of the child."

Arthur fell to his knees, screaming. The person he loved most in the world was now gone. The only person who could console him at a time like this was dead. His head felt like it would explode! Was this just a nightmare?

"Wake up!" he shouted at himself, clutching his head. "Wake up, Arthur!"

The doctor placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Mr. Kirkland, your late wife did leave you with a healthy son."

Arthur wiped away the tears he hadn't felt fall from in eyes. In fact, it wasn't just the tears he didn't feel. His entire body was numb. He felt nothing at all. His eyes went to the bundle of blankets in the in-home nurse's arms. "A son?" he asked.

The doctor helped him stand and ushered him out of the room and into an armchair. "Mr. Kirkland, would you like to hold him?"

"Yes," Arthur answered absently. He sat back in the chair, dazed. His eyes went to the newborn infant who was soon placed in his arms. The child's eyes were closed, but they were the same shape as Mei's. His hair was dark like hers. It put his stomach in a knot.

"Did you have a name for him?" the doctor softly asked Arthur. He stood next to them. "The late Mrs. Kirkland did mention names."

At the mention of Mei, Arthur nearly lost it and gripped his son tightly to him. He was all that was left of that beautiful Chinese goddess. His eyes squeezed shut, unwilling to accept the reality that she was gone now and had left him all alone with a little boy who looked too much like her. He felt his chest tighten and his heart sink into his gut.

"Mr. Kirkland, be careful," the doctor warned. "You don't want to hurt the baby."

Arthur's eyes opened. No. He couldn't hurt him. His gaze went to the sleeping child in his arms. "Leon," he softly said. "If it was a boy, we would have named him Leon Kirkland…"

The doctor looked at him. "So is that the name you choose?" he asked. Arthur absently nodded. "That's what we will put on the certificate then."

Arthur stared at the sleeping infant. "Leon," he softly said, looking at the child who looked more like his mother than his father. "Please don't leave me too."

.

Late January, 1942, London

Arthur stared down at the glass of rum in his hand. How many of these had he drank in the past hour? He raised his eyes to look around the pub where he usually drank the afternoons away while Leon was at school.

"Hey, Arty, how old's that kid of yours now?" the bartender asked him. "He must be getting up there in age by now, eh?"

Arthur stared at the bartender. "My name is Arthur," he corrected. "And he's five now. Will be six in a few months." He drank what was left of the rum in his glass and set the empty glass on the bar. "I need a refill."

"Honestly, you've had enough," the bartender said. "That would make seven today. You should get home. Your son will probably be coming home from school soon, you know. Shouldn't you be there to greet him?"

Arthur exhaled, almost laughed. "He's fine. That kid is very self-sufficient. Besides, his nanny is there. She's only off on Tuesdays."

The bartender let out a deep sigh. "Arthur, it is Tuesday."

"Oh really?" Arthur asked as if it were all news to him. His eyes widened a little. "And what time did you say it was, old chap?"

The bartender looked at the clock on the wall above the bar. "It is nearly four," he stated.

Arthur leaned heavily against the bar. Leon had been home alone for nearly an hour. "I should go," he quickly said, getting up from his usual bar stool. He stumbled to the door and left.

"Should someone help him?" a person at the bar cautiously asked, watching Arthur exit.

The bartender shook his head, rolling his eyes. "That poor, drunk bastard will be fine," he sighed. "He only lives next door. He should be fine."

Arthur burst through his front door, eyes taking in the front room. It was just as clean as he had left it. "Leon?" he called out, looking around. He stumbled down the hall and to the boy's room. His bedroom door was open, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. "Leon?" he called once more. He made his way to the living room and froze.

Leon sat at the coffee table, working on homework. His dark hair hung in his face as his left hand clutched his pencil. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he bit his lip, something Arthur had done when he was young.

Leon wasn't what had caused him to stop dead in his tracks in the doorway. It was the pair of blue eyes that watched him from the couch. The blue eyes that were behind a pair of wired-rimmed glasses. The man they belonged to was tall and blonde. He wore an American military uniform, yet his cap and jacket were placed neatly next to him on the couch.

Arthur felt his face flush in fury and embarrassment. Just who the bloody hell was this bloody American who sat on his bloody couch in his bloody living room?! And why was he even here?!

Leon looked up once the atmosphere changed in the room. "Daddy!" he cheerfully said, spotting Arthur. Anyone who looked at the child couldn't even tell there was a drop of English blood in him. He looked purely Chinese, but those who knew him knew that he had inherited his father's personality. He rose to his feet and ran to Arthur, hugging him.

"Leon, what have I told you about running in the flat?" he scolded, placing a hand on Leon's shoulder. He could barely bring himself to look at the boy half the time. He looked too much like Mei.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Leon responded, pulling away and looking at his feet.

Arthur's eyes flickered back to the blue-eyed man on the couch. He couldn't stand how the man's blonde hair stuck up in one place. It irritated him. He wanted to march across the room and flatten that one spot while demanding who he was and what he was doing in his bloody flat. But he stayed anchored to his spot on the floor. "Who is this?" he asked Leon, his gaze never leaving the man on the couch.

Leon smiled over at the man. "That's Private Jones of the US military!" he excitedly said. "He's all the way here from America to fight in the war!"

"That's all very well, but what is he doing in our flat?" Arthur asked tiredly. The rum was starting to go to his head by this point. He wanted the man to leave, but first he wanted to know what the man was doing spending time with his five-year-old son.

"I'll answer that one, little guy," the man, Private Jones, answered, standing up and walking over. He stuck out an eager hand, a broad smile on his face. "Alfred F. Jones at your service."

Arthur sighed and shook his head. "Arthur Kirkland. Pleasure to meet you," he muttered.

"He's a hero!" Leon exclaimed in excited awe.

"That still does not answer the previous question," Arthur sighed. He was getting very tired of this conversation and was close to just throwing his gentlemanly ways out the window and kicking that stupid American out.

Alfred looked closer at the British man. "Are you drunk?" he finally asked.

Arthur glared at the American. "That is none of your concern," he stated.

Alfred looked down at Leon. "But you have a child," he finally said.

Arthur had nearly had enough. "And what is your point there? You think I'm not aware of my own offspring?" If looks could kill… "Don't you have some important military obligations of some sort to tend to or something?" he coldly asked. "My son is none of your concern."

The American soldier furrowed his brow. "I did not mean to step on toes," he calmly stated. His Midwestern accent infuriated Arthur. The pronunciation was weird and he didn't like it. Alfred smiled down at Leon. "Be good, kiddo." He patted the small boy's head.

Leon grabbed Arthur's hand once Alfred had left the room. "Daddy, he was only helping me," he said. "Some of the kids from school were following me home and calling me names again."

Arthur's stomach tightened. He knew that Leon was bullied at school for being Chinese, the only child at the school who wasn't Caucasian. His jaw clenched. "What did he do then?"

"He told those kids to leave me alone," Leon said. "And then he walked home with me. When you weren't here, he said I shouldn't be by myself. I tried to tell him that I would be fine, but he told me a child my age shouldn't be home alone."

Arthur sighed. "Leon, I'm sorry that I wasn't home when you got home," he apologized. "I forgot what day it was."

Leon sighed. "You always do."

The British man looked down at his son. "Was he nice?"

The boy looked up at him. "Private Jones?" he asked. Arthur nodded. "He helped me with my homework. And he told me stories about where he's from."

Arthur raised his large eyebrows in surprise. "Oh?" he asked. He wondered if Alfred had left yet. "I supposed he can join us for dinner tonight if he's still here. I'd like to know more about this man."

Leon grinned widely and took off toward the front door. "Private Jones, wait!" he called loudly, causing Arthur to cringe. Too loud.

.

It was awkward at the table that night. Arthur and Leon didn't have guests often, but Alfred sat in the nanny's chair that night. Arthur had made soup that night and had sobered up by dinnertime.

Alfred took a bite and smiled. "This is actually pretty good," he admitted. "I'd heard rumors that British food was terrible, but this isn't bad at all."

Arthur had to bite his tongue to keep from saying what he really wanted to say. Instead, he replied with, "Oh, really? Thank you." Were all Americans this ignorant?

Alfred smiled. "No problem at all." He was taller than Arthur and rather muscular. Maybe that was a reason why Arthur hadn't said what was really on his mind the whole time Alfred had been around.

"If you don't mind me asking, just how old are you?" Arthur asked Alfred. He couldn't even guess, considering the fact that he was terrible with these sorts of things. That, and also the fact that Alfred may be bigger than Arthur but had a young-looking face.

"Oh, me?" Alfred asked.

Is there any other bloody American in this room?! Yes, you! Arthur bit his tongue to keep from saying it aloud, especially in front of a child. "Yes," he slowly said.

The American smiled proudly. "I'm nineteen years old," he stated as if that were the most important age. Arthur almost laughed at how arrogant he was about it. At that age, he already had a son, and was a widower… "What about you, Art?"

Arthur clenched his jaw at that dreadful nickname. "Arthur," he said through his teeth. He was quiet for a moment. "I am twenty-three."

Alfred blinked in surprise. "That old?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"I beg your pardon," Arthur scoffed.

Alfred shook his head. "It's nothing," he said. "Sorry." He finished eating. "Thank you kindly for your hospitality, Arthur," he said, grinning at him. "But I'm afraid I must be getting back to the base."

Leon frowned. "What? Already?" he whined.

Arthur shot Leon a look. "Leon," he warned. The boy shut his mouth.

Alfred noticed the exchange between the two. "Hey, maybe I'll see you again sometime, kid."

"Can he come back again sometime?" the boy asked his father, eyes pleading.

Arthur let out a sigh. "I don't see why not."

Leon smiled brightly. "Will you come back again soon?" he asked excitedly.

Alfred looked up at Arthur. His expression was strange and caused Arthur to look away awkwardly. The soldier smirked. "Yeah, I'll be back, Leon," he said. "Perhaps tomorrow, if I have the time."

Arthur forced a smile to his face. "Well, we hope to see you again tomorrow."

"I hope the food is as great as it was tonight," Alfred said with a smile. He put his hand up in a salute and grinned. "See you two again soon."

Arthur's stomach turned. "Until then," he said with a nod before seeing the American to the door.

.

Arthur sat on his usual barstool the next day. It was a quarter after one. Suddenly a person was sitting next to him. No one ever sat next to him. He glanced over and noticed Alfred. His stomach sunk and he nearly dropped his rum.

"Hey there, Arthur," Alfred greeted. "Thought I would find you here."

"H-How?" Arthur stammered.

"Closest pub," Alfred said, looking at the pub around them. "What are you drinking?"

Arthur eyed him over the glass as he took another sip. "Rum," he answered flatly.

Alfred made a face. "That doesn't sound the best." He called over the bartender. "Can I get a bourbon?" Arthur scoffed. "What?"

"You made that face at the mention of rum, yet you order that toxic stuff?" Arthur asked, amused. He shook his head. "I guess they really mean it when they say, 'Pick your poison'."

Alfred seemed almost amused. "Oh really now?" he asked.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You're still a kid," he sighed. "You don't need this stuff."

The American stared at him. "Oh really? And what were you doing at my age?"

"Raising one." Arthur finished his glass of rum and set it on the bar.

Alfred looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Instead he accepted the bourbon when it was handed to him and drank it. He placed his money on the bar and stood up. His expression looked hurt as he said, "You know, Leon's a good kid. Don't ignore him, because before you know it, he'll be all grown up." With that, he walked out of the pub.

Arthur glared after him. What did he know anyway? If that stupid American knew what was good for him, he'd keep his nose out of things that didn't concern him. Yet at the same time, the pained expression on his face made him wonder.


	2. Chapter 2

Alfred came over once more that Thursday. Arthur hadn't gone to the pub that day, wondering if he would receive another random warning from the American if he would have caught him there. And as Alfred came by more, Arthur visited the neighboring pub less frequently, to the point where he was only going there once a week.

"Haven't seen you around much lately, Arthur," the bartender observed sometime in mid-March. "Something been up at home? You lose the nanny or something? I mean, even when you come here, you don't drink nearly half as much as you used to."

Arthur looked up from his glass of rum. "Just been preoccupied with things for the past couple months, old chap," he sighed.

That was true. Alfred had been coming around a lot lately, nearly every day, much to Leon's excitement and to Arthur's surprise. Arthur had seen no point in having the nanny as often as he used to, so he dismissed her and told her he would call upon her when he needed her. She had stared at him as if he had gone mad, but nodded her head and silently left.

"Been spending time with your boy, Arthur?" the bartender asked.

Arthur smiled to himself. "Something like that," he mused. At home, he was often dragged into the shenanigans Alfred and Leon participated in on a daily basis.

At first, he had hated it, finding imaginary wilderness adventures in the living room rather stupid and irritating, but when he saw how happy it made Leon when he participated, he began to participate more than just sarcastically reacting to the terrifying "creatures" they came across. He got so into it at times that sometimes he felt he could actually see the creatures instead of a random shoe or couch cushion.

There were times when Alfred would stay late to talk to Arthur after Leon went to bed. Arthur didn't mind much. It was better than talking to intoxicated pub-goers or a bartender who could never seem to remember what was his business and what wasn't.

Around ten o'clock one Wednesday night, Alfred and Arthur were sitting in the living room, talking over a couple glasses of rum. Alfred usually only had one glass, sometimes two. Arthur made sure to be careful with how much he drank around Alfred, worried that Alfred would see him as an unfit parent.

"You've got a good kid, Arthur," Alfred had said one night. "He's got a good head on his shoulders." He smiled into his glass. "You know, he's really happy that you're spending more time with him now."

Arthur took a sip of his rum. "Is he?" he asked. He hadn't noticed. Leon always seemed happy to him. After all, he was only five. He didn't know many hardships at that age.

Alfred nodded slightly. "A father is very important to a young boy, you know," he softly stated. "I was about his age when I met mine."

"Met?" Arthur asked, looking up at Alfred. He raised an eyebrow.

The American nodded solemnly. "My father did not believe in loving only one woman," he softly said. Arthur could tell that Alfred didn't talk about this often by the way his expression and even posture changed. Alfred was usually bouncy and smiling, now he was stoic and serious. "So my mother divorced him before I was born, when she discovered that another woman was carrying his child as well."

Arthur was a little stunned. What kind of a man would do that to his wife? He had tried to imagine what Mei would have done if she found out that he had done that. She probably would've castrated him before divorcing him. His heart sunk when he remembered that she wasn't here anymore.

"Hey, Art? Buddy?" Alfred was looking at him weird. "Are you okay? Have you had too much to drink?"

Arthur shook his head. "It's Arthur," he corrected. He'd only had a glass and a half of rum. He could still think clearly. "And I'm fine. You just made me think of something is all…"

The words seemed cautious when they hit Arthur's ears. "Leon's mother?" Arthur hesitantly nodded. He thought of her every day, remembering her bright smile that could make the blind see. "He must look like her, because the only resemblance I can see between the two of you is his personality."

Arthur stared over at Alfred. He knew many people thought Leon and Arthur acted a lot alike, but most assumed it was because Arthur raised Leon. No one ever believed that Leon was his child. Only someone who truly paid attention would notice that Leon's personality was nearly identical to Arthur's. The only other person who had stated that fact was the nanny that Arthur hadn't called in three weeks.

"Leon's a good kid with a pure heart," Alfred continued. "Was that how you were at that age?"

The English man silently nodded, taking another sip of his rum. He had seen this American as a foolish twit, a boy who wasn't quite a man yet wasn't still a child. A young soul stuck in age limbo. He almost envied him. Alfred didn't have the responsibility of raising a child at this young age.

"I thought so," Alfred observed, taking another drink. "What was his mother like?"

Arthur felt his chest tighten. "Mei was the only woman I swore I would ever love," he softly stated. "She was always weak, and I knew that. I guess I always saw her as stronger than she really was…" He sighed. "I didn't realize how fragile she really was until she was gone. And then, when I was left alone with Leon I was so overwhelmed. This child of mine, my beautiful son, who looked so much like her that I could barely look at him." Tears pricked the back of his eyes. Why was he still talking? "I couldn't bring myself to take care of him alone. It hurt too much. He would stay with his nanny while I would go out and drink until I would only see a blur when looking at him. It's terrible. I'm a terrible person, Private Jones…"

"What's with the sudden formality?" Alfred asked, cocking his head to the side. He slipped the glass of rum from Arthur's trembling hand and set it on the table on the other side of him. "And I figured the case was something like that. My mother did the same to me. She claimed that I looked just like my dad, sent me to a military academy when I started school so she didn't have to look at me every day…" His voice faded a little. "When I turned six, a boy transferred to my academy. Our birthdays were just days apart, him three days older." He shook his head. "The boy looked just like me…"

"The other child your father had at the same time as you?" Arthur softly asked, looking up at Alfred, who was biting his lip.

Alfred nodded, face blank. "He was. I hated him so much for the first year he was there." He clenched his fist for a moment and then relaxed his hand. "But it wasn't his fault, and he was always so nice to everyone that I couldn't stay hating him." His blue eyes met Arthur's green ones. "He knew the whole time. He knew I was his brother…"

Why was Arthur suddenly feeling bad for this man? His heart was being tugged in many different directions. There was the memory of Mei, the thought of a small Alfred meeting his brother who had taken his father away from him, but the most painful of all was the thought that he had done to Leon what Alfred's mother had done to him. Was Leon as damaged and broken as Alfred remembered being at that age?

"I'm sorry," Arthur apologized. He didn't quite know what he was apologizing for, but he thought it appropriate.

"You didn't do it," Alfred simply said before taking a deep drink of his rum.

"But I did," Arthur quietly admitted to him. "I did to Leon what your mother did to you. He's my child. He deserves to be more important than my own discomfort."

Alfred's blue eyes held a gaze of admiration as he stared over at Arthur and set his empty glass on the table next to Arthur's unfinished one. "You're a good father, Arthur. At least you realized it before it was too late." He stood. "If it were possible for me to be a parent, I would want to be one as admirable as you." He began to walk toward the front room.

Arthur stood, wobbled a little, and then followed after Alfred. "If it were possible?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

Alfred laughed lightly as he stood in the entryway. "We'll save that for another night, eh, Arthur?" he said, smiling. He raised his hand in a salute to Arthur. "Until then, my friend." He walked out into the night, leaving Arthur standing, stunned, in the front hall. Americans were so odd.

.

As Arthur slept that night, he tossed and turned. His dreams were fitful and terrifying, dreams of a blood-soaked Mei lying on the bed. He dreamed of the five years that all meshed and blurred together, the first five years of his little boy's life.

He sat bolt upright in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. The last thing he had dreamed of was the day he met Alfred, and the words Alfred had said to him the next day. They now echoed in his mind, horrifying and terribly real. "Don't ignore him, because before you know it, he'll be all grown up."

His mind then went to a smaller Alfred, one Leon's age, being shipped off to a military school. He imagined Alfred running into a boy who looked just like him and coming to the shocking realization that his father raised and loved that boy…but not him.

Arthur threw his blankets off of him and ran to Leon's room, paying no mind to the time. His eyes filled with tears as he watched the little boy sleep so soundly, completely unaware of his father's fears. He stumbled to the boy's bedside, gripping the blankets tightly in his hands.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered shakily. "I wasn't a good father to you, Leon. I ignored you. I wouldn't even look your way." He took a long, deep, shaky breath. "Please know that I love you, even if it may not always seem like it. You're my little boy. You'll always be my little boy, and I will always love you." One hand made its way over to Leon's. He gripped it softly, afraid of waking him. "Please forgive me, Leon. I'll be better to you, I swear on my life. Don't hate me."

After a couple moments of silence, Leon's quiet voice muttered back, "I don't hate you, Daddy. I love you."

Arthur blinked in surprise, looking at the boy. He was still asleep, but he had heard him and responded. His eyes overflowed with tears as he sat there for maybe about a half hour longer, trying to regain his composure. And when he finally did, he placed a kiss on the boy's forehead and left the room. He meant it. He was determined to be a better father to the boy who deserved it the most.

.

Alfred didn't come that day, nor did he visit that weekend. Leon had been practically glued to the window in the front room of their flat, keeping a sharp eye out for that loud, cocky American. Arthur didn't want to admit it, but even he missed Alfred. He had personally grown used to having the loud soldier in his home every day.

Arthur had tried to console Leon by offering to go on adventures in the living room with him, but Leon shook his head and claimed that it wasn't the same without Alfred. It wasn't like Arthur could argue with that. Alfred was full of life and imagination, whereas Arthur couldn't even remember the ridiculous names Alfred came up with for half the creatures they "found" in the living room.

So when Monday came around and Leon came home from school, clinging to the hand of a certain American, Arthur was very glad to see him. Alfred had that same carefree grin that he always had as he saluted Arthur on the threshold of his home and took off his boots. Arthur suppressed a smile and rolled his eyes as he stood in the doorway that led to the hallway.

"And where have you been?" Arthur asked Alfred, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

Alfred shrugged. "Here and there. Thought I would give you some time together since I've been taking up so much of it," he stated. "Families need their time together, don't they?"

Arthur thought for a moment on how to respond. "We'll have enough time together once you get shipped off, you know. I had to listen to Leon complain all weekend, wondering where you were."

Alfred grinned. "Fine, I won't do it again." He patted Leon's head and ruffled the boy's dark hair. "I missed you too, big guy." Leon grinned up at Alfred with a look of admiration in his eyes that broke the soldier's heart. "I also had some training to do."

"What kind of training?" Leon eagerly asked, bouncing around Alfred like an excited puppy.

"Leon," scolded Arthur. The boy turned to him and Arthur nodded down to his shoes. "Shoes."

The boy grinned widely and tugged of his shoes before getting a running start and sliding across the hardwood floor of the front room, something Alfred had taught him to do a few weeks before, much to Arthur's dismay.

"Got any plans for the morning, Arthur?" Alfred asked, glancing up at the British man after setting his shoes in their usual place by the door. Arthur shook his head. "Good," he said, a grin appearing on his face. "Because I need to talk later."

So Alfred actually did have an excuse for staying away, an excuse that he wasn't comfortable with Leon hearing. Thinking about what kind of excuse it could be caused Arthur's stomach to turn. What if he was preparing to be shipped off? What if he were leaving tomorrow? What if he came here to spend his last evening with them?

Arthur shook the thoughts from his head. Ridiculous. And it wasn't like he cared whether Alfred stopped coming every day or not. He was more worried about how Leon would react. But if he didn't care, then why did his chest tighten at the thought of no longer being able to talk to or see Alfred? He decided to push those thoughts to the back of his mind and instead focus on the crazy adventure the living room had in store for them that evening.

.

Alfred had swallowed four glasses of rum by the time he had started opening up that night. "Sorry about not coming around this past weekend, Arthur," he muttered. "After that last conversation we had…" His voice trailed off. "He's been promoted to Captain," he said when he finally spoke again.

Arthur wasn't really following that last part of the conversation. "Who?" he finally asked, leaning toward Alfred. He was only on his second glass of rum.

"Matthew," Alfred finally said, as if the word pained him. "My brother." He was quiet for a moment. "He's always been better than me at everything, always! Yet no one ever notices him because he's always so quiet! I hate it! The higher ups still have no idea who the fuck he is!"

"Leon is asleep, Alfred," Arthur quietly reminded, shooting a cautious glance down the hall toward the boy's room. "Please keep your voice down."

Alfred took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry," he softly said. "It's just that it's not fair to him. I don't care that he got all my dad's attention when we were younger, it's not fair for him not to get the proper recognition he deserves." He clenched his fist and Arthur quickly took the nearly empty glass from his hand and set it on the coffee table. "The worst is when we're in the same base at the same time and everyone confuses us. Do people really think I'm that important? Do people really think I'm that great at things? I can't do anything he can do."

"Don't let Leon hear you say that, Alfred," Arthur softly said. "That boy thinks everything of you."

Alfred looked at Arthur as if he were just noticing him for the first time. He got up and moved to sit next to Arthur on the couch. "But that's one person. A child. It's not like it will make any difference."

"It does to him," Arthur told him. Alfred blinked and muttered under his breath, staring at the floor. "What was that?" Arthur asked, blinking curiously.

"Why do you do that?" Alfred asked.

"I beg your pardon," Arthur scoffed. "Do what?"

Alfred rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. "That! Stop it!" He sighed and tugged at his blond hair.

Arthur was confused and put a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern showing in his voice. "Have you had too much to drink?" When Alfred didn't answer, he leaned closer. "Alfred?"

Suddenly, as if on complete impulse, Alfred turned his head and smashed his lips into Arthur's.

Arthur didn't even have time to react. It had been so long since he was kissed that he sort of just let it happen. He had forgotten what it felt to have another person's lips come in contact with his own. He had forgotten the electric feeling that can only be felt by kissing someone, and he closed his eyes, imagining that it was Mei.

The kisses became a bit deeper and slightly more feverish, and Arthur was reminded of the rush of kissing someone you were in love with. He was reminded of his and Mei's wedding night, and how they had slept together for the first time. The night that Leon was conceived.

Arthur felt that what he was doing with Alfred was wrong, but why couldn't he stop? Was it from being deprived from contact like this for so long? Yet at the same time, it felt so right. What was with the conflicting emotions he was feeling? He wasn't in love with Alfred! He couldn't be! Alfred was a man! But if it was so wrong, then why wouldn't Arthur's heart stop racing? Why did he never want this to end? And at what point did he stop imagining Mei?

When they broke apart for air, Arthur finally gasped as he came to the realization. He had just kissed a man! And he had enjoyed it! He had kissed back with just as much intensity! His breath had left him at some point, but he hadn't noticed until now.

"Alfred…" he sighed as he sat back on the couch.

Alfred was bright red. "Don't," he stammered. "Just don't say anything, Arthur. Please."

Arthur looked to the young American. "You're drunk, Jones."

The soldier sighed. "Alcohol really does bring out people's true selves, doesn't it?" he asked softly. His face twisted in complete horror as he realized what he had done. He hurriedly got up, nearly falling back onto the couch. "I need to go."

Arthur followed after him as he stumbled down the hall and to the front room. "Alfred, are you okay?" he asked, following the panicked man. "What's going on?"

Alfred tugged his boots on. "I need to go," he repeated. He fumbled for the doorknob. "Forget that happened, okay?"

"Alfred?" Arthur asked. His brow furrowed in confusion. "What happened?"

Alfred simply shook his head and threw open the door, stumbling out into the night. "Just forget about it, okay?" he called back.

Arthur stood in the open doorway for a while, watching the drunk American stagger down the street, yet he knew he couldn't help him. Leon was asleep and he couldn't leave a boy that young alone in the middle of the night. But when he was sure Alfred would be okay, he talked himself into closing the front door and going to bed.

What had come over them both? Was Alfred just drunk? Did Arthur only kiss him back because he was thinking of Mei and feeling lonely? Why were things always so confusing?

As Arthur laid in bed that night, trying to fall asleep, for the first time in over five years, he was not thinking of Mei. That night, he was thinking of Alfred. How their lips felt so right together. How when they kissed he didn't notice anything else in the world. But the worst was when he wracked his brain, trying to remember what it felt like to kiss Mei. And then came the painful realization that kissing Alfred felt even more exhilarating.

The last thing Arthur wondered before falling asleep was if he would ever be able to feel those American lips against his again.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur woke up to Leon jumping onto his bed the next morning. It scared him, causing to cry out in fright and sit straight up. Leon stared up at him with his small, brown eyes and giggled.

"What is it, Leon?" Arthur asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

Leon yawned. "Someone is at the door," he excitedly said. "I think it might be Alfred! He looks like Alfred, but he's not wearing what Alfred usually wears, and he doesn't knock like Alfred either."

Arthur was immediately awake as memories of the night before returned to him. Alfred's distress, Alfred drunk, Alfred stumbling dangerously down the street, Alfred's lips on his…

"Daddy, we have to answer the door," Leon insisted.

Arthur stood up. He realized he was still in his clothes from yesterday, having been in too much of a daze to change into nightwear. He yawned and smoothed his hair down before going to the front room and answering the door.

Leon was right. It wasn't Alfred at the door. But the man at the door looked nearly identical to him. The man looked at Arthur with kind, yet worried eyes. He wore a captain's badge and had his head held high.

"Arthur Kirkland?" the man asked, looking at Arthur.

"That would be me," Arthur slowly confirmed, trying not to shrink against the doorframe. Was this the brother that Alfred was always talking about? If so, why was he here? What did he want? Where was Alfred?

The man smiled apologetically. "My name is Captain Matthew Williams," he stated, introducing himself. "Have you by any chance seen Private Alfred F. Jones in the past day?"

Arthur's heart skipped a beat. He struggled to find his voice. He knew he shouldn't have let him walk alone last night! His head nodded, yet he still couldn't find his voice. What had happened? Did he not make it back to the base?

Matthew breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed a little, almost as if a metric ton was literally lifted off of his shoulders. "Please," he anxiously pleaded. "Please tell me everything you know!"

Arthur swallowed the lump in his throat. "Very well," he said, gesturing inside. "Please come in, Captain Williams." Matthew nodded and stepped in as Arthur stared at him curiously, shutting the door. "How did you know I was associated with him?"

Matthew smiled warmly and got a look of fondness in his eyes. "Alfred's my younger brother," he explained. "We're all each other has left. And the night I came to his base, he sat on my bunk all night and told me all about you two."

Arthur smiled, imagining Alfred talking to Matthew all night, while Matthew was trying to sleep. He imagined Alfred sitting, still talking to Matthew after his brother drifted off to sleep, not even noticing. Then it hit him. Alfred was missing. Alfred didn't make it back to the base last night.

"Captain Williams, did Alfred not make it back last night?" Arthur asked, stomach sinking. He didn't want to believe it. He prayed it wasn't true.

Matthew shook his head, biting his lip. "Did he say or do anything weird yesterday?" he asked.

Arthur glanced to Leon. "Leon, please go do your homework in your room," he said, not wanting Leon to hear what had happened. He didn't know how much he should tell Matthew, but knew that in order to find out what happened to Alfred, he'd have to tell him.

Leon's eyes widened with panic, knowing how serious it must be if his father was dismissing him. He nodded numbly and went to his room to do homework.

"Tell me, Captain Williams, what all do you know about your brother and my family?" Arthur softly asked, not daring to look at Matthew.

"That depends on how much you know about my brother," Matthew simply stated.

"Meaning what?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow.

Matthew sighed. "He'll kill me for asking this, but what is the relationship between you two?"

Arthur was quiet for a moment, trying to hold back the blush that wanted to spread across his cheeks. "We're friends, of course," he answered stiffly. "Nothing more than that." He wasn't sure if Matthew should know about the night before or not. But then again, why was Matthew asking about this in the first place?

"Did he do anything out of the ordinary last night?" Matthew cautiously asked. He had to be careful when probing people for information, especially regarding their relationships with his brother. He learned many years ago to be very careful about things of that sort.

Arthur stared at him for a moment. "What sort of thing are you asking about?" he asked, voice tinged with just as much caution as Matthew's. "Alfred is an eccentric person. Everything seems to be out of the ordinary when regarding him."

Matthew smiled a little and nodded. "That's very true," he agreed. "It's just that Alfred is different than most men that I know."

"Different?" Arthur questioned, leaning more toward Matthew.

"Tell me what happened last night before I say anything more," Matthew sighed. "I need to know everything he did before he left."

Arthur swallowed. "Very well," he said. He proceeded to tell Matthew about their day yesterday and then about how Alfred got very drunk and began ranting. Matthew looked troubled when he was mentioned. "And then he…" Arthur trailed off.

Matthew leaned toward him. "Go on," he said, already suspecting what happened. "Arthur, it's important that I know what happened."

Arthur knew what happened to homosexual men, especially the ones in the military. He bit his lip, terrified of telling Matthew.

"He kissed you, didn't he?" Matthew finally asked, prompting it out of Arthur.

Arthur stared over at Matthew with wide eyes. "How did you…"

Matthew looked down at the floor. "I've known about him for years now. My brother prefers men to women." Arthur's heart skipped a beat. So Alfred did intend to do that. "And being in the military means that he isn't supposed to be that way. I'm the only one who knows." He looked down. "And I knew how he felt about you." His eyes met Arthur's once again. "How did you react?"

"I told him he was drunk," Arthur sheepishly admitted, looking down.

Matthew's mouth drew into a tight line. "I see," he said. "Which direction did he go in?"

Arthur pointed down the street. "He went that way. I knew I should have walked with him!" The guilt was eating him alive. He was praying for Alfred to be okay.

Matthew turned back to the door. "I have one last question for you," he softly asked. "Did you kiss him back?"

The British man's heart skipped a beat before he bit his lip, nodding. "I did," he answered.

Matthew was very surprised by that answer. He gasped slightly. "Do you feel the same about him as he feels about you?"

Arthur looked at his feet. He had been up all night, thinking about it. If he didn't love Alfred in that way, then he wouldn't be dying for another taste of his lips. If he didn't love Alfred in that way, he wouldn't be comparing him to Mei in his head. If he didn't love Alfred in that way, his heart wouldn't hurt at the mention of anything bad happening to him. "I do," he finally decided. His mind went in many different directions when he finally owned up to the feelings. It was too real. He was in love with a man.

Matthew turned to face Arthur. "I-I-I see," he stammered. He hadn't expected Arthur to openly answer in that way. "Then will it be alright if I bring him back here when I find him? I don't want to take him back to the base if he's in not so great condition."

Arthur nodded absently. "Would you like me to accompany you?" he asked.

The captain shook his head. "I'd rather Leon not see him if he's in the condition I think he's in," he admitted. "Please keep Leon occupied when I return."

Arthur was anxious to go. "I can call Victoria. She'll be here within minutes." He wanted to help find Alfred.

Matthew weighed it out. "Very well," he decided. "But get her here soon."

.

Arthur searched every alleyway with Matthew. Where was the bloody American? What had happened to him? His heart pounded every time he saw someone in military dress or with blond hair his length. It made him more nervous.

"Wait," Matthew said, looking up ahead. He was staring at a park bench with a blond military soldier slumped on it, asleep. His heart beat sped up as he ran to the man. "Alfred F. Jones!" he shouted when he reached him.

Alfred woke up with a start, falling off of the bench. "Mattie?!" he cried out in shock. He blinked against the morning light, realization hitting him. "What time is it?"

Matthew towered over Alfred. "It's probably half past ten by now," he stiffly stated. "Is this where you have been all night? I was worried sick!"

The American backed away a bit at his brother's loud words, not used to Matthew's voice being anything but soft and gentle. "I wasn't feeling well, so I sat down to rest," he struggled to say. "But I guess I must have fallen asleep."

Matthew sighed. "You need to work on thinking of others," he said. He offered Alfred a hand and pulled him to his feet. "Your actions affect more than just yourself, you know."

Alfred brushed himself off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he sighed. "I get it, Mattie." He sighed and fixed his glasses, which had been crooked. "Not to say your feelings aren't relevant, but it was just you who was worried. It's not like it was anyone else."

"I don't care whether you find my feelings relevant or not," Matthew simply stated. He stepped aside and gestured to Arthur. "But don't you think his would be?"

Alfred's eyes widened when he saw Arthur. He glared up at his brother angrily. "You got Arthur involved?!" he angrily growled. "How could you do that?!" His eyes flicked over to Arthur and he turned bright red as he looked away in shame.

Matthew clenched his jaw but did not say anything. He knew better than to argue with Alfred, especially when his brother was angry. "I had no choice," he finally said. "He was the last person to see you last night."

Arthur awkwardly stood there, wondering when would be a good time to speak. His eyes took in Alfred, who looked really tired. "Let's get him to my place," he sighed. "He looks like hell and needs to rest."

Alfred's eyes widened. "Your place?" he struggled to say. He looked to Matthew. "Shouldn't I be heading back to the base?"

Matthew shook his head. "Not until you're able to answer demanding questions," he answered.

Alfred sighed. "I really messed up, didn't I?"

The captain sighed. "Don't worry about that right now," he answered. "I'll be with you the whole time. But first, you need to rest in a proper place, not a park bench."

Arthur finally stepped over to the brothers. "Alfred, you need proper sleep. Let's head back to my flat. You can sleep there."

Alfred stared at Arthur in horror. "B-B-But last night!" he struggled to say.

The British man shook his head. "Don't worry about that right now, Alfred," he said. "You need to sleep. Now come along."

.

Alfred was accosted by Leon the moment they walked through the door. He smiled at the boy. "Hey, Leon," he greeted.

Leon stared up at Alfred. "You don't look so good, Alfred," he observed. "You should sleep. That's what helps me feel better." His eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! You can sleep in my bed!"

Arthur looked down at Leon. "I appreciate the sentiment, Leon, but your bed will not be big enough for Alfred."

"Then let him sleep in yours!" Leon said, grinning. "I know yours is big enough for a lot of people! It should be big enough for Alfred, right?"

Alfred smiled. "I'm fine with the couch, kid."

Arthur clicked his tongue in disapproval. "There is no door in there to keep sound out," he said. He helped Alfred out of his boots. "I'll put this bloke to bed. Leon, go play with Victoria."

Leon nodded obediently and then turned to Matthew. "Hey, are you Alfred's brother? You look like him! Come play with me!" He grabbed Matthew's hand before he could answer and drug him to his bedroom.

Arthur walked Alfred to his room and shut the door after them. "Alfred," he began.

Alfred cringed. "If this is about last night, then I…"

Arthur cut him off, placing a finger on his lips. "Let me talk," he stated. "What was your reasoning behind kissing me last night?"

The American's eyes widened in horror. "Look, I'm sorry," he began. "I was drunk, and I couldn't hold myself back. I just…"

Arthur shook his head. "You fool. Do you know what that did to me?" He bit his lip, unable to look up at the American.

Alfred couldn't answer. He was stunned, unable to read Arthur's face. "No," he finally answered, slowly and quietly. "I don't know what I did, but I apologize. It wasn't appropriate."

Arthur sighed. "Alfred, I…" He didn't know what to say. His mind couldn't process how to put the thoughts into words. He then decided that actions spoke louder than words and pressed his lips to Alfred's.

Alfred blinked in shock, but didn't break it off. Instead, his arms circled Arthur's waist as Arthur's snaked around his neck. He pulled the smaller man closer to him, causing Arthur to gasp against his lips. Alfred didn't pay attention to the gasp as he licked Arthur's bottom lip. Arthur slowly opened his mouth and Alfred's tongue slipped in.

Arthur felt his knees weaken as Alfred kissed him. His could feel his legs trembling and clung tightly around Alfred's neck. He was slowly losing his sanity, yet he was enjoying every moment of it.

Alfred stumbled to Arthur's bed as he began to lose balance due to the intoxicating kiss. He sat and pulled Arthur onto his lap, holding the British man close to him yet being careful as if he feared Arthur would break.

Arthur opened his eyes widely when he realized he was seated on Alfred's lap. He had never sat on a man's lap before, not since he was a child. Yet this was a different kind of sitting. He loved this man differently than family. It was still a stunning shock for him as he realized the fact that he really did love Alfred. He loved this man the same way he loved his beloved Mei. Every tiny voice in his mind screamed at him, telling him that this was wrong, very wrong. But if it was so wrong, why did it make him feel more himself than he ever had in his life?

Alfred broke off the kiss and stared into Arthur's eyes. "Matthew knows," he softly said.

Arthur sighed. "I figured as much," he admitted. "Alfred, why is it me?"

The American sighed. "Why wouldn't it be, Arthur? You were the first person here in London who gave me the time of day. You were the first person to be kind to me. Last night, I wanted to tell you how I felt, but I was so worried that you wouldn't feel the same, so I had to drink until I couldn't remember my worries. I had to drink myself into honesty."

Arthur leaned his head on Alfred's shoulder. Alfred was so strong and muscular that it made Arthur blush. "Next time, just say it. It'll save you a drunken walk down the street."

Alfred laughed. "Yeah, I guess so." He smiled and leaned his head on Arthur's, holding the man protectively in his arms. "When did you realize you felt the same?"

Arthur was quiet for a moment. "I realized it as I laid here last night," he admitted. "All night I was wondering about if I would ever get to kiss you again. Or what it would be like to kiss you while sober. Just before dawn was when I realized it. You make me feel the same way Mei did."

Alfred sighed. "I don't want to replace her," he said. "It wouldn't be fair to her memory."

Arthur chuckled to himself. "You wouldn't be replacing her. She'll always be in my heart as the first woman I ever loved. But you will always be in my heart as the first man." He looked up at Alfred and smiled.

The American smiled back and then yawned. "I honestly hope to be the only one," he quietly admitted. He yawned once more and laid back on the pillows, asleep within moments.

Arthur stood up and tucked him in. "As do I," he softly said, kissing the American's forehead before leaving the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Alfred woke up sometime later, disoriented. He didn't recognize Arthur's bedroom, having never been in there other than that day. Everything suddenly came back to him in a wave and the weight of it pinned him to Arthur's bed. Arthur loved him back. Arthur really loved him.

The door opened slightly and Arthur peeked in. His emerald eyes widened when he realized Alfred was awake. He hadn't expected him to wake up until evening. It was only half past four.

"Good morning, Alfred," Arthur greeted, walking in. He came and sat on the edge of the bed, resisting the urge to grab Alfred's hands and hold them in his.

"Mornin', Arthur," Alfred greeted with a wide smile. "I'm sorry for making you worry," he sighed. "That's not fair to you."

Arthur shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Alfred," he stated. "I'm just glad you are all right."

Alfred frowned. "I feel really gross. I really need to shower when I get back to the base. I wouldn't be offended if you burned this bedding after I left," he teased.

Arthur smiled a little. "Bathing always puts everyone in a better mood. It's almost as if your bad mood goes down the drain with the water," he mused. "Would you like to bathe before you go back to the base? It might help with your mood a bit."

Alfred considered it. "I guess I could," he thought aloud. "Are you sure it wouldn't be that big of a deal?"

Arthur dismissed Alfred's worries and concerns with a wave of his hand. "Not a big deal at all," he assured. He nodded toward the door. "Come on, I'll show you how to work it."

"Wait," Alfred said, standing up. He grabbed Arthur's hands. "Did you really mean it earlier, Arthur? When you said it?"

"When I said what?" Arthur asked, pleasantly confused due to the fact that Alfred was holding his hands.

"That you, uh…" Alfred gulped, hoping he hadn't dreamed it. "When you said that you loved me…"

Arthur smiled at Alfred. "I did mean it," he stated with a nod. "Who would lie about something like that, Jones?"

Alfred blushed a deep red and he shrugged, trying to find the words to say. "It's just that you were married and have Leon and all that," he finally managed to mutter. "After a man has loved a woman like that, it's not likely that he'll ever love another man like that."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And where did you hear that?" he asked.

The American looked up at him. "It's just something I know."

"Then get new facts," Arthur stated, leading him from the room by his hand and walking him down the hallway to the bathroom. The door was open, so he led Alfred in and began instructing him on how to use the faucet and all. It was only when he turned to find Alfred shirtless that he stopped talking for a moment. His face flushed bright red. "What are you doing?" he gasped out.

Alfred shrugged. "Just getting ready to take a bath," he answered as if it were incredibly obvious. His torso was tanned and toned, almost as if calling to Arthur to run his hands down it and feel the muscles.

Arthur tore his eyes from the man's bare chest. "At least wait until I leave the room," he indignantly stated.

"It's just my shirt," Alfred stated. He smirked slightly. "I didn't think you'd mind." He reached out and grabbed Arthur's hand and pressed it to his torso.

Arthur's eyes widened and he turned to Alfred, face so red that it could put roses to shame. "Alfred, you…" He couldn't finish his thought as his moved his hand across Alfred's muscles. He was very impressed by this man's upper body, and he wished his could look like that. "I don't," he finally decided.

Alfred winked. "Thought so." He grabbed Arthur by the waist and pulled him closer, kicking the door closed. His lips pressed into Arthur's.

Arthur closed his eyes, slowly losing himself in Alfred before realizing that there were more people in the flat than just them. His eyes flew open as he reluctantly pulled away. "No," he softly stated. "Not right now, Alfred."

Alfred smiled. "I understand."

Arthur blushed. "Perhaps another time," he softly stated, cheeks hot. "Another time when my son or your brother can't walk in."

Alfred looked amused. "So Mattie's still here?" he asked, grinning.

"Of course," Arthur answered. "He has been keeping us all entertained all day. Leon has really taken to him, but I'm pretty sure he's still partial to you."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he liked Mattie more," Alfred sighed. "Everyone else tends to." He frowned, getting lost in his thoughts.

Arthur cupped Alfred's cheek in his hand and smiled. "Not me," he said before meeting Alfred's lips with his. And only once he could feel the American smiling against his lips did he pull away.

Alfred sighed. "I always think that there's no way you could be more perfect," he mused, "and then you do something like that."

Arthur laughed. "Just wash up, okay?" he said, opening the door. "I'll make dinner." He walked out and smiled, closing the door after him before going to the living room.

Matthew was on the floor, playing with blocks with Leon. He looked up when Arthur walked in. "I heard running water. Does that mean he finally woke up?"

Arthur smiled. "Yeah, he's awake," he confirmed with a nod. "He wanted to wash up before heading back to the base. I figured you two could head back after dinner."

Matthew smiled. "That sounds great," he said. "Do you need any help?"

"No, it's fine," Arthur said.

"Daddy doesn't like people in the kitchen with him while he's cooking," Leon informed Matthew with wide eyes. "He smacked Alfred over the head with a ladle once! So he learned very fast!"

The captain laughed. "That's great!" He laughed a little harder as he imagined it. "Was he okay?"

"He was fine," Arthur grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

Matthew grinned at Arthur. "Sounds like him," he stated fondly. "My brother usually has to learn things the hard way because he never listens."

"I can tell," Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I am headed to the kitchen. If you need me, stand in the doorway and talk."

Matthew saluted, which Leon thought was cool, so he copied him. "I'll keep my new friend entertained," he said, smiling over at the boy.

"Thank you," Arthur stated. "Leon, you be good and listen to him, got it?" Leon obediently nodded. Arthur smiled and headed off to the kitchen to make dinner.

.

Matthew and Alfred stood in the doorway that evening, preparing to head off to the base. They looked nearly identical as they stood side by side. The only major difference was the uniform and the Captain badge on Matthew's chest. And where Alfred's hair seemed to stick up, Matthew's just curled.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Arthur," Matthew said, bowing his head in gratitude as he waited for Alfred to finish lacing his boots.

"It's nothing," Arthur insisted. He smiled down at Alfred and affectionately nudged his arm with his foot. Alfred grinned up at him as he finished tying his boots. "Matthew, you are welcome here anytime."

"I appreciate it," the captain responded with a nod. "It's nice to be welcomed." He nodded to Leon. "It was nice meeting you, Leon. You take care and be good."

Leon grinned up at Matthew. "You too, Captain Williams!" He hugged Matthew's legs and then went to hug Alfred, who was still kneeling.

Alfred hugged the little boy. "You take care, Leon," he said, placing a kiss above the boy's ear. "If I'm not in too much trouble, I'll come pick you up at school tomorrow."

Arthur smiled a little. "If he's not there, at least I will be," he told Leon, ruffling his hair.

Leon grinned brightly up at his father. "You'll be there?" he excitedly asked.

Arthur smiled at his son. "Why wouldn't I?"

The small boy ran to his father and grabbed his hand, tugging him down to his level. "Thank you!" he happily squealed, hugging him tightly. Arthur hugged back until Leon pulled away, still smiling. "I'll go get ready for bed. Goodnight!" He hurried from the room toward his own, giggling.

Arthur sighed happily. He was very happy that he was now closer to Leon, but he knew that he had no one but Alfred to truly thank for that. His smile widened when he saw Alfred looking at him as he stood to his full height.

Matthew cleared his throat. "I'll head out so you two can say goodbye," he softly said. "I'll be right outside the door." He then walked out, softly closing the door after him.

Alfred awkwardly stood in the doorway. "So I'll see you tomorrow?" he awkwardly suggested.

"Yeah," Arthur said, looking away and blushing.

Alfred grabbed Arthur's biceps and placed a small kiss on his lips before pulling away and smiling. "Until then, Arthur."

Arthur smiled as well and grabbed Alfred's collar and kissing him for a moment before letting go. "Can't wait," he admitted.

Alfred smiled, pressing his forehead to Arthur's for a moment before sighing and walking out the door. "See ya."

Arthur stood in the doorway, smiling to himself for a few moments, before locking the door and heading to Leon's room. "Did you have a good day with Matthew?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe to Leon's bedroom.

Leon smiled widely. "He's really nice!" He was in his pajamas and picking up his toys from the day before going to bed. "But I still like Alfred more, don't you?"

"Yeah," Arthur sighed, smiling as Leon knelt next to his bed to say his prayers, something his nanny taught him. "Goodnight, Leon."

"Goodnight, Daddy!" the boy cheerfully said as Arthur left the room.

Arthur paused outside the door after shutting it and pressed his ear to it, wondering what Leon would pray about tonight. He focused hard because Leon's voice was so quiet.

"It's me again," Leon softly said. "Thank you for bringing me a new friend today. Captain Williams is very nice, just like his brother. Thank you that Alfred is okay. I was really scared when he got here. He didn't look okay." He paused for a moment. "God? Is it okay for me to ask for Alfred to be like a second daddy? I don't see why everyone thinks that is weird. He loves me too, right? Isn't that what matters?"

Arthur's heart tightened. Leon was so innocent. So pure. He didn't know hate the way most people did. He didn't understand hate either. It almost made him ache on the inside.

"If I can't have a mummy, is it okay if I can have two daddies?" Leon continued. "They both love me. I mean, I don't know if they love each other, but surely it would be okay, right? I still don't think Daddy ever forgave me after what happened with his old friend. It's not like I'd ever expect him to. After all, George was his only friend, and it's my fault he doesn't come around anymore…"

Arthur wanted to burst through the door and hold his son, telling him that it was okay. He wanted to tell Leon that he was sorry for yelling at him for that, but he didn't know what to do. Would Leon be upset if he knew that Arthur was listening in?

"And one more thing," Leon finished. "Can you tell my mummy that I'm sorry? I didn't mean to kill her, honest. Tell her that even though I never met her, I still love her. She's the reason I'm alive and get to live with Daddy. That's all for tonight. Amen."

Arthur stumbled down the hall after that, trying not to make much noise. Did Leon really feel like he killed Mei? His mind was in a daze. Did his son really feel that way? It made him sick to think that a five-year-old boy would feel like he killed his mother.

He finally managed to lay down in bed in his pajamas. His mind was overflowing with thoughts over Leon's prayer that night. Did he pray like that every night?

.

Arthur stood at the gates of Leon's school with the other parents, arms crossed, leaning against a lamp post. He listened to bits of gossip as he stood, acting like he wasn't listening.

"So that Asian kid that goes here gets picked up by two different men," a woman said.

Arthur listened in. After all, it was his kid they were talking about.

"The Kirkland boy?" another woman asked. "I know. It used to be a young girl who picked him up, but lately some American man has been picking him up."

"Do you think the boy's father even knows the American?" the first woman gasped.

"Who knows?" the second woman asked. "I heard his father is just a useless drunk anyway. He doesn't give a damn about the boy or his wellbeing."

Arthur wanted to confront those gossiping women. He wanted to yell at them and tell them that it wasn't true and that he loved Leon. Though he was abruptly stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around to see Alfred behind him.

"Hey, Arthur!" Alfred greeted brightly, grinning.

The two gossiping women turned to them and stood, horrified, when the realized that Arthur had been within earshot. They both blushed when Alfred nodded and tipped his cap to them, turning away quickly.

"Hello, Alfred," Arthur said, struggling to tear his gaze from the women.

"Staring is rude, you know," Alfred muttered into Arthur's ear.

Arthur sighed and frowned. "They were talking about us, you know," he muttered back.

Alfred's eyebrows rose. "What about us?" he whispered. "I don't think they would know."

"Not that, nitwit!" Arthur hissed at him. "They were calling me a useless drunk and claiming that I don't know you and that I don't give a damn about my son."

Alfred glared at the women. "That's just uncalled for," he mumbled with a low growl.

Arthur felt his heart jump a little at how defensive Alfred got over him. He was a little pleased, but didn't allow himself to feel that due to the situation. He discreetly patted Alfred's hand to calm him down. "It's fine. People have been talking like that for years now," he sighed.

"Doesn't make it right," Alfred scoffed, clenching his fists. "You're not who you were two months ago."

Arthur blinked in surprise. "Pardon?" he asked, shocked.

"You're not," Alfred stated through clenched teeth. "I've noticed changes in you, your home, your behaviors, everything."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Really now?"

"Being in love makes you notice random things," Alfred whispered to him, breath hot on his ear.

Arthur felt his cheeks burning. He didn't understand how Alfred could be so open about it in public. Even if Arthur was the only one who heard them, shouldn't Alfred be concerned about how his affectionate words made him feel? Whenever Alfred mentioned being in love with Arthur, he needed to suppress the urges deep in his mind that were awakened at the mention of love. The urges he hadn't felt since Mei.

"You're blushing," Alfred muttered, quietly laughing.

Arthur impatiently smacked Alfred away, causing him to laugh a little louder, drawing attention from the women and a few other parents. He scoffed when the two women giggled. Alfred kept laughing.

Leon was one of the first kids out of the gates. He ran to Alfred and Arthur, smiling brightly. "Daddy! Alfred! You're both here!"

"Of course we are, kiddo!" Alfred said, beaming happily. "Didn't we say we would be?"

Arthur smiled at Leon and patted his head. "What do you say we stop by a café before we head home?"

Leon grinned widely. "Really?" he excitedly asked. "You mean it?"

"Of course I do, Leon," he said, smiling. "After all, we have more money now. Alcohol was more expensive than I thought. Now the money will go to you and your happiness."

"Like I said," Alfred muttered into Arthur's ear. "You changed."

Arthur felt a sense of pride at that comment. Was it really true? Had he really changed? He hoped he had. After all, Leon deserved a better life than the pathetic excuse of one Arthur had given him over the past year. And Arthur knew he was the only one who could give it to him.


	5. Chapter 5

Late April, 1942, London

Arthur was enjoying the lovely weather they had been having lately in London. The sky was a bit cloudy, but it hadn't rained much in the past week, allowing him, Alfred, and Leon to go on walks through the park after picking Leon up from school.

Unknown to Alfred, Arthur had quit his job he had been doing when he met Alfred and was now working at a local drugstore while Leon was at school. He would go into work after seeing Leon off to school and would get off just in time to pick him up at the gate. He had weekends off to spend with Leon and Alfred and enjoyed not having to stress himself.

His previous job was a journalist. Though he never knew who he was really working for. Knowing that he could hold his liquor well, he had gone to the pub to listen to the drunken soldiers talk to each other and write about the things they said about the war. But then he had met Alfred, the most genuine and perfect soldier he had ever come across and knew he couldn't do that anymore. It just didn't seem right, even if he did get paid better as a journalist.

Most nights, after Leon went to bed, Alfred and Arthur would stay up and talk in the living room. It usually ended with kisses and snuggling on the couch. The two no longer drank rum as they talked, enjoying each other much more when sober. In fact, Arthur hadn't had a drink in two weeks. He didn't feel the need for it, feeling that his life had finally fallen into place.

One night as Alfred and Arthur were sitting in the living room and chatting, things went a little differently than normal. Alfred had discovered the radio in the corner.

"I didn't know you had a radio!" Alfred exclaimed when he laid eyes on it.

Arthur smacked his arm and shushed him, looking cautiously down the hall toward Leon's room. "You blasted moron, it's been there this whole time," he stated. He huffed indignantly. "Honestly, I wonder about you sometimes."

Alfred jumped up from the couch and rushed over to it. "How does it work?" he excitedly asked, struggling to keep his voice at a volume that would please Arthur. He began poking at it and twisting the knobs.

"Stop that, you'll break it," Arthur sighed, walking over. He nudged Alfred aside. "I never play it because, well…" He thought for a moment. What was his reasoning? Then he remembered. "It was Mei's…" He sighed. "I haven't turned it on since before Leon was born. But when she was alive, I don't think there was a waking moment when the blasted thing wasn't on."

Alfred frowned in sympathy for Arthur. "Don't you think she'd want you to turn it on every now and then?" he asked.

"You just want to see if it still works," Arthur scoffed. "I see right through you, you know."

Alfred shrugged helplessly. "It wouldn't be a bad thing to test it out after nearly six years."

Arthur sighed a little. "I suppose it wouldn't be." He reached toward a knob on it. "Let me see what I can do." He turned the dial as music from a piano began to softly play from the speakers. "It sounds a bit rough to me."

Alfred's eyes lit up. "I know this song!" he said, smiling brightly. Arthur shushed him once more as he began to hum the tune. "It's supposed to sound like this."

The British man shrugged. "If you're sure," he sighed. He leaned against the wall next to the radio and began to tap his foot to the rhythm. He had to admit that it did sound rather lovely.

Alfred sang along with the radio as the lyrics began. "I'm making believe that you're in my arms, though I know you're so far away…"

Arthur's eyes widened. "I didn't know you could sing," he admitted, blushing a little.

Alfred winked. "It's a secret talent," he teased. "The one thing I'm better than Matthew at." Due to his talking, he had missed a couple lines, yet he didn't seem to care as he snatched Arthur by the waist and began to sway back and forth slowly with him in front of the radio. "Making believe is just another way of dreaming," he sang.

Arthur's eyes widened as he listened to the lyrics spill from Alfred's lips. He was captivated by the sound of Alfred's voice, how each note smoothly came from his mouth. If only he could sing like that…

Alfred continued singing. "So until my dreams come true I'll whisper goodnight, turn out the light, and kiss my pillow, making believe it's you." He smiled as a woman began to sing what he had just sang, closing his eyes as he listened to her beautiful voice. "Ella Fitzgerald," he sighed out.

"Pardon?" Arthur asked, a little confused.

"That's the name of the owner of that beautiful voice you are hearing," Alfred sighed, opening his eyes. "She is amazing."

Arthur smiled. "I did not know you liked this kind of music," he admitted, blushing. "Though her voice doesn't sound…"

"White?" Alfred suggested. He grinned. "She's not. None of these singers are. Ella Fitzgerald is just a guest singer in this song, but it's sung by a colored group known as the Ink Spots. They are a group of four colored men who wear white tuxedos."

Arthur smiled. "I learn something new every day," he said, amused.

"And I fall more in love every day," the American sighed happily.

"That as well," Arthur assured before standing on his toes to press a soft kiss to Alfred's lips, which he happily returned. He grinned up at Alfred, when he felt the American pull him closer by his waist. His head rested against Alfred's shoulder as they danced slowly, gracefully.

"And here in the gloom of my lonely room, we're dancing like we used to do," Alfred softly sang.

Arthur felt his breath catch once more at Alfred's flawless voice. Oh, how he loved the sound of it! He wanted Alfred to sing to him every day like this!

"Making believe is just another way of dreaming, so until my dreams come true…

I'll whisper goodnight, turn out the light, and kiss my pillow, making believe it's you." Alfred's voice was nearly a hum by the end.

Arthur looked up at Alfred as the song ended, a look of complete awe and admiration in his eyes. "That was wonderful," he praised, switching the radio off.

Alfred blushed a little. "I'm not that great," he quietly insisted. "Let's go sit back down." He led the way back to the couch, hoping to change the subject from him. He wasn't used to compliments.

Arthur was still holding a gaze of admiration as he stared at Alfred. He didn't realize the words had left his lips until after he said them, yet he had no desire to take them back. "I love you," he softly said.

Alfred froze. Neither of them had ever actually said those three words. It was just implied a lot by them, and they talked about what it was like to be in love, yet neither of them had ever come right out and said it like that. His face turned red with blush. "I love you too," he finally admitted, face turning even more red.

Arthur leaned over and cupped Alfred's cheeks in his hands, kissing him deeply. His heart was racing after hearing that Alfred finally said it. Those three sacred words said in just that order, which made his stomach feel all fuzzy and his chest feel lighter than air. He kissed that man feverishly, wanting more with each kiss.

Alfred's hands began to roam up Arthur's sides as they sometimes tended to do, which always made Arthur shudder and want more. Though whenever it came down to more than just kissing, Arthur always backed down, not feeling ready yet. Alfred always understood and smiled at him reassuringly before disappearing into the bathroom for a few minutes. Every time that happened, Arthur always felt a little guilty for causing Alfred discomfort. It wasn't fair. Why was Alfred so patient and nice about Arthur arousing him but never finishing what he had started? It didn't seem fair to Alfred at all, yet it happened nearly every night.

Arthur sighed against Alfred's lips when his leg discreetly grazed Alfred's crotch. He could feel him through his uniform. Though Arthur wasn't ready to take it all the way, he felt he should make it up to Alfred for all the times he had left him hanging.

Alfred gasped when he felt Arthur messing with the button of the pants on his uniform. "Arthur," he softly said, realizing what the other was doing. "We don't have to…"

Arthur looked up at Alfred. "To be perfectly honest, I'm not ready for full-on intercourse," he admitted, looking away slightly. "But I feel as if I should make it up to you for all the times you've had to do this yourself…"

Alfred's eyes widened when he realized what Arthur meant. "Look, you seriously don't have to," he slowly said. "I'm perfectly fine with doing it myself. I don't want you to feel obligated to do something like that for me…" He blushed deeply.

Arthur blushed as well and struggled to find his words. "I-I-I know that," he stated, refusing to meet eyes with Alfred. He began to struggle with the button once more. "Just let me do it, if only this once."

Alfred sighed. "If you insist," he cautiously said. He moved Arthur's hands away. "At least let me get the button for you. It's weird anyway." He unfastened the button, constricting the pants less, causing the bulge in his crotch to grow larger. "So you're sure about this?" he cautiously asked.

Arthur nodded and moved Alfred's hands out of the way as he reached for the zipper. He slowly pulled it down and Alfred's member seemed to shoot up, his boxers the only thing covering it. He reached in through the hole in the front and ran his fingers gently down the throbbing member, causing Alfred to gasp and lightly shudder, squeezing his eyes closed. Arthur blushed a little, realizing that Alfred was actually larger than him, even if only slightly. He used his free hand to pull the hole in the boxers down around Alfred's length to get a better look at it.

Alfred shuddered a little when Arthur gripped him, gasping out slightly. "Arthur, are you sure?" he struggled to ask one last time.

Arthur kissed Alfred, slipping his tongue into the other's mouth to shut him up as he began to stroke his erect member. He could feel Alfred's body trembling as his hand moved a little faster. He smiled and blushed when Alfred moaned softly into his mouth. Arthur decided a new tactic and began kissing at Alfred's neck, making sure he didn't leave any marks.

"Arthur," Alfred moaned, panting slightly. "Oh, my God." He struggled to keep his moans quiet as Arthur continued, knowing he wouldn't last much longer. He gasped out Arthur's name as he released, struggling to stay quiet so he wouldn't wake up Leon.

Arthur took his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the semen from his hand, thankful that none of it got on the couch or worse, Alfred's uniform. It had actually gotten all over his trousers, which he was going to wash the next day anyway. He smiled at Alfred and kissed his cheek. "Better than doing it yourself?" he asked.

Alfred couldn't even talk yet, so he just nodded. Once recovered, he grinned at Arthur and kissed him passionately. "If it's all right with you," he timidly began, blushing deeply.

"Yes?" Arthur asked, nodding for him to continue.

"Would you mind if I returned the favor?" Alfred cautiously asked. "It's only fair…"

"I didn't expect anything in return, but if you insist, I won't stop you," Arthur decided. He sat back against the arm of the couch, giving Alfred full access. In the process of fulfilling Alfred, Arthur had gotten quite aroused as well.

Alfred quickly managed to undo the button on Arthur's trousers and revealed his member within moments. But what he did next surprised Arthur. He was expecting Alfred to use his hands, like he had, but when Alfred's tongue ran across it instead, Arthur trembled and felt himself melt at Alfred's touch.

Arthur wasn't used to this feeling, but he liked it. He squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on the feeling of Alfred's wet, warm tongue on his throbbing flesh. He didn't even realize he was moaning until Alfred stopped what he was doing.

"Keep your voice down," Alfred advised. "We don't want Leon to wake up now, do we?" He winked at Arthur and went back to what he was doing.

Arthur gripped the top of the couch and the side of the cushion tightly to keep himself from moaning loudly, though soft, quiet moans managed to escape. He tried to hold himself back as long as he could, relishing the moment and the feeling and Alfred. But when Alfred's mouth enclosed around it, he knew he wouldn't last another minute. He soon released into Alfred's mouth, the American actually swallowing it, to Arthur's astonishment.

"So how was that for an experience?" Alfred asked, winking at Arthur. He laughed as quietly as he could. "Anything to say?"

Arthur laid against the arm of the couch, panting. He had never experienced something like that before, but he had enjoyed it immensely. So when his breath had finally caught back up to him, he kissed the American with all he had, Alfred eagerly kissing back.

Only once the clock struck eleven did either of them realize the time. Both men sighed as they pulled away from each other.

"I should head back," Alfred sighed, frowning.

"Yeah," Arthur quietly agreed.

"But I'll be back tomorrow," Alfred assured, causing Arthur to perk right up. He leaned forward, locking lips with Arthur for another moment. "I love you, Arthur Kirkland," he sighed when he pulled away.

Arthur's heart leaped into his throat as he struggled to find his voice. "And I love you, Alfred F. Jones," he said, blushing. The intensity in Alfred's gaze caused him to look away for a moment.

Alfred placed his hand on the back of Arthur's head and drew him in, kissing his forehead softly. "Until tomorrow," he said, standing up and adjusting himself, making sure his pants were buttoned and zipped.

Arthur did the same as Alfred and couldn't help but notice a fuzzy feeling in his stomach. Even after what they had just done, Alfred had done something so innocent to say goodbye. He made sure to add it to the already growing mental list of reasons why he loved that man.

As they walked to the front door, something felt different to Arthur. He couldn't explain how, though. It was almost like he didn't want Alfred to leave, ever again. His hand gripped Alfred's tightly all the way to the door. He almost didn't let go so Alfred could lace up his shoes, yet he knew he had to.

Alfred almost laughed at the frown on Arthur's face when he stood up after lacing and tying his boots. "Hey, you'll see me tomorrow, you know," he assured, smiling and grabbing one of Arthur's hands. "So until then." He brought his hand up and kissed it.

Arthur used his inner strength and pulled Alfred over with that hand and mashed his lips into the American's in a steamy goodbye kiss. He wanted Alfred to feel every emotion he was feeling at that moment, and hoped he had gotten his point across. His arms snaked their way around Alfred's neck as they kissed. He began to feel weak in his knees. And just as he was about to fall, Alfred picked Arthur up as he kissed him. Arthur wrapped his legs around Alfred's waist and Alfred's strong arms held his thighs in place.

After a few minutes of kissing, Alfred pulled away and sighed. "I want to stay longer, I really do," he assured, "but I really need to head back. Remember what happened the last time I stayed out all night?"

Arthur frowned. He remembered how he and Matthew had found Alfred in the park the next morning, hungover and disoriented. "I remember," he sighed as Alfred carefully set him back on the floor as if he were fragile.

Alfred smiled. "Then until tomorrow," he softly said, opening the door and winking back at Arthur. He made his way down the street, aware of Arthur's watchful eye on him until he turned a corner.

Arthur sighed contentedly to himself as he quietly shut and locked the front door. He hadn't been this in love before. He noted the difference between being in love with a man and being in love with a woman.

In his cases, when he was in love with a woman there were still downfalls, considering she was a different race. Neither of their families had approved, which was why Leon never knew his grandparents or uncles on Arthur's side. It had hurt Arthur's parents tremendously when he had announced his engagement to Mei, and they had given him the ultimatum, her or us. He had chosen Mei, and even to that day, he never once regretted it.

Though him being in love with a man was considered sick, wrong, and disgusting by most people. He didn't see what was so wrong with it. And after hearing Leon's prayer that one time, he knew that his own son saw nothing wrong with it either. Yet a few days after that prayer, Arthur had asked Leon not to tell people how often Alfred came over. Leon had eagerly nodded, yet Arthur knew the young boy didn't understand why it was that big of a deal.


	6. Chapter 6

Mid-May, 1942, London

Arthur stood at the gates of Leon's school with Alfred one Thursday afternoon, waiting for Leon to get out. He sighed as he leaned against a lamp post. Time always went so slow whenever they waited there, even with Alfred's constant chattering that Arthur honestly barely paid attention to.

Leon ran to them when school was let out, dragging behind him a girl with dark auburn hair and big, brown eyes. "Daddy! Alfred!" he greeted, giggling happily. "Guess what!"

"You let go of that girl this instant!" Arthur scolded, hoping Leon wouldn't dislocate the poor girl's arm.

The boy, startled, released the hand of the young girl that was with him. "Daddy, she has our surname!" he said, pointing at her.

Arthur blinked in surprise. "Pardon?" he asked his son. After all, Kirkland was not a common surname in that area. "She what?"

"Her surname is Kirkland, like me!" Leon proudly said, grinning at the girl. "Her name is Blair Kirkland!" The girl blushed and looked away from Arthur and Alfred.

A man approached them from behind. He was nearly as tall as Alfred and had dark auburn hair like the girl's. His eyes were emerald green, just like Arthur's. "Blair, it's time to go home," he simply stated.

Arthur jumped and turned toward the man. His eyes widened in realization. He quickly looked away, but that didn't stop the man's mocking laugh.

"So you're still here in London?" the man mocked, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder. His hold on Arthur was firm, preventing him from running. "I'd figured you'd have run off to China."

Arthur scowled, knowing the man couldn't see it. "Go away," he grumbled, trying to get the man's hand off of his shoulder.

The man's hand held firm. "So you're still just as bitter as you've always been," he observed. That was when he noticed Leon. "You've got to be kidding me," he stated. "When were you going to let your big brother know you had a kid?"

Arthur broke free and spun toward the man, glaring, as Alfred gasped out, "Brother?"

The man smiled down at Leon. "Hey, kid," he greeted. "I'm Blair's father, your Uncle Allistor."

"Uncle?" Leon asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"What?" Allistor asked, smirking. "Your dad never told you that he has brothers?" He looked down at Arthur and mockingly frowned. "Shame on you, Arthur," he scolded.

Arthur clenched his fists. "Just leave us alone," he snarled through clenched teeth.

"Where's that wife of yours?" Allistor asked. "She at home with the other kids?"

Arthur paled and reeled back as if he had taken a blow to the face. He sank down against the lamppost, unable to support himself on his trembling legs. He had forgotten that since his family had disowned him, they never knew about Leon or what had happened to Mei.

Leon pulled on Allistor's sleeve timidly. "Excuse me, sir," he softly said. Allistor turned his attention to the small boy. "My mummy died when I was born."

Allistor's eyes widened as he realized how low of a blow he really had dealt to his brother. His face fell. "How old are you?" he asked the boy.

"I will be six in July," Leon softly stated. He didn't like Allistor's sudden change in expression and ran to hide behind Alfred, who just awkwardly stood there, not knowing what to really make of all of this.

"But you got married in September of 1935," Allistor softly said, stepping toward Arthur, who was staring at the sidewalk. "Not even a year?"

Arthur glared up at Allistor. "Just leave me alone," he grumbled. "Haven't you done enough?"

"Look, I didn't mean to…"

"You never mean anything you do, do you?!" Arthur snapped. He realized they were drawing a crowd and grabbed Leon's wrist. "We're going home," he huffed to the boy before storming down the street, half dragging the confused child with him.

Alfred awkwardly started after them. "Uh, see you later then," he awkwardly muttered before picking up his pace to catch up with Arthur and Leon.

Arthur didn't slow down until he was sure that when he turned around he wouldn't have to see Allistor. Tears pricked his eyes, but he blinked them back, ignoring them.

"Daddy, stop!" Leon finally cried out. He had tears in his eyes, pained from Arthur's tight grip on his wrist and the strain on his arm from being dragged down the street.

Arthur heard the pain in Leon's voice and froze, releasing his small son's wrist. He felt he was going to fall apart at any moment and was grateful to feel Alfred's hands on his shoulders, guiding him into an alleyway that was off the main road. And once in the alleyway, Arthur fell apart, clinging to Alfred and sobbing. He didn't give a damn if Alfred saw him as weak or childish for it.

Alfred just hugged Arthur and patted his back comfortingly. "It'll be okay, Arthur," he assured. "He's not following us. He's nowhere near us."

Arthur gripped Alfred's jacket tightly in his clenched fists. "It's not fair!" he nearly shouted. "Allistor always had everything! Always!" He struggled to keep his voice down, not wanting to draw attention from the people walking past the alleyway. "He was always the favorite! Mum and Dad bent to his every will!"

"So that man really is your brother?" Alfred asked, raising an eyebrow. He glanced down at Leon, who looked just as confused.

Arthur nodded, trying to compose himself. "But I'm not part of that family anymore."

Leon's eyes held a sort of soft hurt in them. "Daddy," he softly said, getting Arthur's attention. He frowned when Arthur looked at him. "Why didn't you tell me I had more family?"

Arthur struggled to find something to respond with, a good enough reason as to why he would keep Leon in the dark about them, until Alfred cut in with, "Sometimes it's best to not know your family."

Leon's face contorted as he struggled to hold back his anger and tears and frustration. "I was always alone!" he finally shouted. "You never cared how I felt before Alfred came here!" His tiny fists clenched in rage as he shook, finally letting out all of the negative feelings that had built up over the years. "How am I supposed to know what will happen when he's gone?!" Then his wrath turned to Alfred. "What did you do to him?!" he demanded, pointing to Arthur. "What did you tell him to make him spend time with me?!" By this point, tears of hurt and anger spilled from his cheeks. "You're liars! Both of you! All you do is lie!" He turned on his heel and ran from the alleyway.

Arthur's heart skipped a beat at the end of Leon's outburst. He reached out toward Leon as if thinking he could catch him as he bolted from the alley and onto the busy sidewalk. Arthur's brain went into panic mode as he forgot Alfred for a moment and ran after Leon. Yet when he turned the corner, the small boy was nowhere to be seen.

Alfred caught Arthur as the British man's knees gave way beneath him. Arthur felt lightheaded and sick. Where had Leon gone? "We'll fine him," Alfred told Arthur. "He'll be okay."

Arthur's voice shook as he regained feelings in his legs. "I need to find my boy," he softly stated. "I need to find him!" He took off running down the street. "Alfred, go the other way!" He didn't check to see if Alfred had followed the command. All he cared about was finding his little boy and telling him how sorry he was.

His emerald eyes scanned the people he came across on the streets. No one matched Leon, yet he kept searching, hoping to be the one to find his little boy. He needed to be the one to find him. He had to tell him he was sorry!

After about ten minutes of running, Arthur finally saw Leon up ahead. He was sobbing on a bench in the park. Yet as Arthur approached him, he couldn't think of a thing to say to him, so instead he just sat silently next to his son on the bench.

Leon looked up at him for a moment and moved as far from him on the bench as he could get. "Where's the other liar?" he finally asked, voice shaking.

Arthur was quiet for a moment, thinking of a way to approach this. "Alfred never lied to you," he stated, taking the blame off of the American. "I lied to you, Leon." He saw Leon wince a little at the confession. "It was not a nice thing for me to do."

"I always wondered why everyone else had a family, but we didn't," Leon quietly admitted. "I always wondered if it was because of me, because I'm different from you."

"Different?" Arthur asked. He had never considered Leon "different" by any means.

"Daddy, I'm not white like everyone else," Leon said. "So I always wondered if my family didn't love me because I'm not white. Like they didn't want anything to do with me because I am Chinese like Mummy…"

Arthur's heart ached for Leon, yet he had no words to say. "It's not because of you, Leon. It's because of me that you never knew them." He sighed out when Leon looked at him. He had always hoped he would never have to have this conversation with his son while he was so young, but now here it was, staring him in the face. "I chose you and Mummy over them."

"So they don't love you because of me?" Leon asked, eyes filling with tears once more.

Arthur's heart ached. "Leon, that's not it at all." He struggled to find the words to say. "They don't know about you. I'm sure that if they knew about you they would love you." He thought of the look on Allistor's face when Leon told him Mei was dead. "After all, Blair is your friend, correct?"

Leon nodded, smiling a little. "She is very nice."

"Well Blair is your family," Arthur said, words sounding weird when he said them. "Blair's father is my big brother." He looked down. "I know I should have told you, but I chose Mummy over them. And when I lost Mummy, I chose you over them. You are the most beautiful child I have ever laid eyes on, Leon. A beautiful child that they don't deserve to know."

"But I want to know them," Leon quietly admitted. "I want to know my family, Daddy. I want to know where you come from, since I don't know anything else. I want to know who my family is."

"What would you like to know?" Arthur asked. "I will answer your questions."

Leon sighed. "How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

"I have four brothers," Arthur answered. "Three older, and one younger. Actually, my younger brother was your age the last time I saw him."

Leon frowned. "What was he like?" he asked.

"Peter was a lot like you. He was very smart and always loved to have adventures." Arthur smiled as he thought of his little brother. His smile faded. "He didn't understand why I wasn't allowed to be part of the family anymore." He sighed. "But now that Allistor knows that I'm still around, you might get to meet them one day."

The young boy was quiet for a moment. "I don't want to meet them without you, Daddy," he softly said, scooting closer.

Arthur smiled a little, but tried to hide it. "Why is that?"

Leon looked up at Arthur with his small, brown eyes. "Because if they accept me, then I'll make them accept you too. After all, you're my family, all I've ever known. If they don't like you anymore, then I don't want them to like me either."

Arthur felt touched by Leon's words. "Even though I lied about them?" he asked.

Leon looked down at his shoes as his feet dangled above the ground. "You wouldn't lie without a good reason, Daddy," he said after a moment. "After all, it was you who used to tell me not to lie. So if you always told me not to lie, I knew you wouldn't lie unless it was for a big reason."

The British man's heart swelled when Leon said that. "You are a very smart boy, Leon," he complimented. "Your mummy would be very proud of you."

That caused another silence from the boy. "Why don't we talk about her?" His vision blurred with tears. "You never talk about her to me. Did she do something bad?"

"Nothing bad at all," Arthur assured, shaking his head. "She was very nice to everyone, just like you. She was very smart, like you. You look exactly what I assume she would look like if she were to ever be a little boy." His heart began to ache as he forced himself to think of Mei. "She liked to dance and explore, always telling me that every day was a new adventure. We always hoped that you would take after her with her creativity and that you wouldn't be all boring and stuffy like me."

Leon giggled a little. "But you're not boring and stuffy at all, Daddy," he said. "When me, you, and Alfred play together, you're always a lot of fun!" He then thought for a moment. "Do you think Mummy would have liked Alfred?"

Arthur thought about how to answer that. If Mei were still alive, he doubted that he would be very close with Alfred. He also doubted he would have ever met Alfred. Mei was always wanting to return to China one day. That's where they would be in Mei were still alive. And if Mei were still alive, he would've never fallen in love with that handsome, charming American.

"I think she would have," Arthur finally answered. "They would have a lot in common. They like to dance and explore and laugh." He smiled to himself as he imagined Mei and Alfred dancing to music on the radio together. "Your mum and Alfred would probably sit and tell jokes to each other all day."

"Daddy," Leon timidly began. He folded his hands in his lap, staring hard at him, refusing to meet Arthur's gaze. "Do you think Alfred could be like another daddy to me? Since I don't have a mummy?" His teeth bit at his lip, knowing it was wrong to ask something like that.

"You want Alfred to be a second father to you?" Arthur asked, interested. "Why is that?"

"Most kids have two parents," the boy began. "I don't mind that Alfred is a boy. I want two, just like everyone else. Also, Alfred seems to love me like a daddy loves his son, right?"

Arthur smiled. "Then maybe you should ask him," he said. "But Leon, you know that people don't like kids having two daddies or two mummies."

"Then it can be our secret," Leon said, putting his finger to his lips. "I won't tell anyone. Honest!"

Arthur chuckled to himself. "We'll see about how Alfred feels about that, okay?" he said, ruffling Leon's hair.

Leon moved over to sit on Arthur's lap and hugged his father tightly. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," he said.

"You had a reason to yell," Arthur assured. "I promise I won't lie to you anymore, Leon."

Alfred walked over to the bench. "How do you feel, big guy?" he asked Leon, smiling his quirky, little smile that Arthur adored.

Leon looked up at Alfred and blushed, looking away. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Alfred. Please don't hate me."

Alfred shrugged indifferently. "We can't all be happy all the time, can we?" he stated. "No harm done to me."

"I have something to ask you," Leon began.

Arthur slipped a hand over the boy's mouth. "Not here, love. Wait until we get home, all right?"

Leon obediently nodded and then jumped off of Arthur's lap. "I'm ready to go home now," he stated. He grabbed Arthur's hand. "Let's go."

Arthur smiled and got up, letting Leon think he pulled him up. "Let's go home, shall we?" He shot a wink to Alfred as they all walked back to the flat.

.

"So that was your brother today?" Alfred asked Arthur that night after Leon had gone to bed. Arthur absently nodded. "I noticed that he had the same eyes as you. They honestly look better with blonde hair, but maybe that's just my preference."

"You're too sweet," Arthur scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Alfred grinned widely and leaned over him. "Oh, am I?" he teased, stealing a kiss.

Arthur sighed. "Remind me how I fell in love with you," he groaned.

Alfred smiled. "You want a reminder, Arthur?" he asked. He kissed at Arthur's jaw line and placed a kiss on his lips, which Arthur returned. His lips then began to kiss at Arthur's neck, to the spots that he knew would make Arthur moan, which he did. He wrapped an arm around Arthur's waist as he trailed the kisses back up his neck and to his jaw, then his lips. After a moment of kisses to the lips, Alfred pulled away. "Do you remember yet, or would you like more?"

Arthur smiled at Alfred and grabbed his tie. "A little more memory jogging never hurt anyone," he teased back, pulling him by his tie into a passionate kiss. He moved himself onto Alfred's lap and ran his hands through his hair, tangling his fingers into it.

Things began to heat up quickly, and it was only when they heard a small voice from the doorway that they realized they were no longer alone. "Daddy, what are you doing?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Bollocks," Arthur muttered to himself as Alfred turned a deep shade of crimson. They had been caught in the act. And he had promised not to lie to Leon anymore. Arthur was internally cursing himself and trying to think of ways to make it come off to Leon as some sort of weird dream.

"No more lies," Alfred sighed, slowly getting to his feet. He glanced over to the doorway, where Leon was leaning heavily against the frame.

Leon was half-asleep, rubbing at his small, brown eyes. His mouth was stretched in an exaggerated yawn as he slumped against the doorframe. "I had a nightmare," he mumbled.

Arthur almost breathed a sigh of relief as he walked over to Leon. "Let's get you back to sleep, Leon," he softly said, picking up the small child. He smiled to himself as his son snuggled into him, resting his head on his shoulder. "Nightmares are terrible, aren't they? But nothing bad will happen to you. Not while I'm here."

Leon's tiny hand clutched at Arthur's sweater as his heavy eyelids struggled to stay open. "Will Alfred make them go away, too?" he mumbled into Arthur's shoulder.

"You bet, big guy," Alfred encouraged, grinning and giving Leon a thumbs up in case he was looking.

Arthur gave Alfred a fond smile. He loved that Alfred was good with his son, and he loved the way Leon looked up to the American. "We won't let anything happen to you, love," he told Leon, kissing the boy's forehead.

Leon was already softly snoring by the time they reached his bedroom. Arthur slowly lowered him onto his bed as Alfred tucked him in. Alfred bent down and kissed the boy's forehead followed by Arthur kissing Leon's cheek. The two, once they were certain Leon was sleeping peacefully, returned to the living room.

"Do you think he saw anything?" Alfred nervously asked, sitting back on the couch.

Arthur bit his lip, deep in thought, as he sat next to Alfred and leaned heavily against him. "I guess I'll find out in the morning," he sighed out. "So I'll let you know at the school gate tomorrow."

Alfred shrugged a little. "Only way to know." He chuckled a little to himself. His hand rested on Arthur's thigh. "I should probably get going."

Arthur sighed. "Damn curfews," he grumbled.

Alfred laughed a little to himself. "My sentiments exactly."

Arthur smiled up at him and kissed at his jaw. "Alfred," he timidly began. "Tomorrow…"

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Arthur?"

"Leon's nanny has requested to take him on a walk tomorrow night," Arthur began. "She wants to take him out to the park and to dinner and all that, so she can say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Alfred asked.

"She is leaving for school in France," Arthur softly explained. "So she wanted to spend time with him one last time." He was quiet for a moment. "Alfred, could we spend the evening together? You know, alone?"

Alfred's eyes widened. "Well, sure," he struggled to say.

Arthur smiled and closed his eyes, his head resting on Alfred's shoulder. "I'll look forward to it, love."

The American smiled down at the man leaning against him. "Arthur, I'll still need to leave soon," he reminded.

"Alfred, don't talk," Arthur softly said. "Just sit like this for a moment." He opened an emerald eye and noticed Alfred opening his mouth to say something. His finger quickly went to Alfred's lips as he softly shushed him. "Just for a minute, love."

Alfred nodded and kissed Arthur's finger that was resting steadily on his lips. He brought his hand up to grab Arthur's hand, staying silent. Usually, Alfred was bothered by silences, yet this one didn't bother him at all. It felt comfortable to him.

Arthur breathed softly, enjoying the silence. Yet deep inside, he was curious as to how long Alfred would last in the silence. He had noticed that Alfred wasn't fond of silence. But once the silence had lasted for as long as he had desired, he turned to look at Alfred. "I love you," he told him. He noticed Alfred's hand on his thigh and moved his own to Alfred's.

Alfred's eyes squeezed shut a little as he inhaled sharply. "I love you, too," he said. He sighed out, smiling. "I guess I can stay a little longer."

Arthur grinned up at him, moving his hand up Alfred's thigh. His grin turned wicked as he watched Alfred squirm a little. "Am I bothering you?" he teasingly asked.

"Bothering isn't exactly the term I would use," Alfred groaned. He sighed as he tried to focus on things other than where Arthur's hand was.

"What term would you use?" Arthur teasingly asked, raising an eyebrow. His hand inched dangerously closer to the crotch of Alfred's pants.

Alfred struggled to find a term for it as his mind filled with lustful thoughts. "Arousing?" he finally decided.

"That's the plan," Arthur softly told him, moving his hand so it rested firmly on Alfred's crotch, feeling it grow beneath his fingers. He moved to kiss Alfred passionately and was surprised to find Alfred's lips meet his halfway. His lips parted immediately as his tongue battled Alfred's for dominance, Alfred's quickly winning. Arthur moaned softly into Alfred's mouth, feeling Alfred grow more with each passing second.

When Alfred couldn't stand it any longer, he quickly stood, messing with his button and zipper, ignoring Arthur's teasing comments of, "What? That didn't take long." He groaned at Arthur to shut up as he struggled to free his length from the confines of the suddenly tight-feeling uniform pants.

Arthur smirked at Alfred when he sat back down, he moved closer to Alfred, gripping the warm, hard length in his hand as he kissed the American. His hand slowly moved, stroking him up and down, Alfred shuddering slightly at the touch as Arthur grinned into the kiss.

Alfred moaned softly against Arthur's lips before breaking the kiss. "Arthur," he breathlessly said. "Your hands are so soft, steady, careful," he sighed. "You know what you're doing."

Arthur smiled a little and then sighed a bit. "I was alone for a long time, Alfred," he reminded. He squeezed slightly with every following stroke. "Now no more talking. Just let me please you, love."

Alfred sat back, resting against the back and the arm of the couch. Soft moans escaped his lips every few moments as Arthur's hands did their work. He could feel himself building up on the inside as his ability to focus began to fade drastically. Within moments, he couldn't hold on any longer and had released, careful not to get any on his own pants.

Arthur met his lips with Alfred's slowly, kissing his love deeply. "Alfred, I hope for there to be even better in store tomorrow night," he softly said, pulling away.

Alfred's eyes widened in realization. "You mean…"

Arthur slowly nodded. "I feel as if I may finally be ready." He had gone and bought vaseline a week or so before to prepare. And when Victoria had asked to take Leon a few days ago, that was when he knew that he wanted this. He wanted to experience Alfred on a whole new level.

"And you're sure?" Alfred asked.

"I'll know tomorrow," Arthur softly said after gulping. He focused his eyes on Alfred's beautiful blue eyes, getting lost in them. "I want to…" His voice hitched in his throat for a moment. "I want to experience loving you on another level."

Alfred blushed, imagining it. It was true, he wasn't a virgin, and he knew Arthur definitely wasn't. But what Arthur didn't know was that Alfred had slept with a man before. Alfred knew what was to come.

Arthur was quiet for a moment. "I guess you should be heading back soon to be rested up for tomorrow," he sighed. He looked up at Alfred, emerald eyes wide.

Alfred stood up and fixed his pants, making sure he looked decent and unexposed. He bent low and kissed Arthur softly. "Until tomorrow, my love."

Arthur smiled warmly at the American and held out his hands to be helped up. He smiled as Alfred pulled him to his feet, walking with him to the door. His mind was almost in a daze as Alfred laced up his boots. Only when Alfred kissed him goodbye did Arthur realize the handsome American was leaving for the night.

Alfred almost laughed at the look on Arthur's face. "Don't look so down, Arthur," he said, grinning. "It's only until tomorrow, right?"

The British man's face blushed bright red with embarrassment. "Right," he muttered half to himself. Before he realized it, he had his arms around Alfred's neck and was pulling him into another kiss.

Alfred broke the kiss off after a few moments. "There will be plenty of time for this tomorrow night," he reminded with a wink. He kissed Arthur's forehead. "Until then." He turned and grabbed the doorknob. "I love you."

Though he had heard Alfred say it before, Arthur's heart still soared at those three small words. "I love you too," he breathlessly said, meaning every syllable. He had to lean against the doorframe to keep himself from falling as his knees grew weak from the words.

Alfred smiled and left, making his way down the street his usual way as Arthur watched from the doorway. Though they were both physically there, their heads were completely in the clouds.

.

"What were you doing last night?" Leon asked Arthur as he stirred his spoon around his bowl of oatmeal the next morning.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, seating himself at the table with a cup of tea and a slice of toast on a plate. He glanced over the teacup at his son, wondering what he would say.

Leon had a confused look on his face as he pondered what to say. "You and Alfred were sitting really close to each other last night," he slowly said. He looked up at Arthur. "Daddy, did you kiss him?"

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Why would you ask something like that?"

The boy looked down into his oatmeal, stirring it more, frowning. "I don't know. I thought I saw it. Maybe I dreamed it." He sighed, frustrated. "Daddy, why would I dream something like that?"

"I don't know," Arthur answered, wondering how long he could pass it off as a dream for him. Technically he wasn't lying, considering he never confirmed nor denied.

Leon looked up at Arthur, a troubled look on his face. "Is that bad?"

"It's not bad if you only keep it between you and me," Arthur answered. "Not many people would be happy to hear about things like that, true or false."

"I guess so," Leon huffed, frowning. He sighed and pushed the bowl of oatmeal away from him. "I'm not hungry."

"Leon, you didn't even take a bite," Arthur sighed, concerned. He frowned at the boy across the table from him. "Are you feeling all right?"

Leon nodded, frowning. "Is it…" His voice trailed off.

"Is what?" Arthur asked. Leon's behavior was beginning to worry him.

"Is it wrong for me to wish that Alfred could live here with us?" Leon quietly asked, staring into the oatmeal. "Wrong for me to almost secretly wish that you had kissed him?"

Arthur was surprised. "I know you mentioned yesterday that you wanted Alfred to be like a second father to you," he began, "but did you mean as in you wanted me to be married to him?"

Leon nodded timidly. "Yeah," he quietly admitted.

"What a thought," Arthur mused, smiling into his tea. "Why would you want me to marry Alfred?"

Leon shrugged. "I just want two parents," he admitted. "And you are both fun. You're friends and you get along."

"There's a slight problem, love," Arthur sighed. "Two men cannot marry each other."

"That's bollocks," Leon grumbled.

Arthur nearly spit his tea as he tried to control his laughter. "Leon, don't say that," he said through his chuckles. "That is not the way a gentleman speaks."

"I don't care," the boy grumbled. "I don't want to be a gentleman right now."

"Then what do you want to be?" Arthur asked Leon, eyeing him across the table.

"Happy," Leon answered, voice barely above a whisper. He got up and walked to his room to change into his school uniform.

"You're not happy?" Arthur asked when Leon met him in the front room to walk to school.

"Do we have to talk about it?" Leon asked, sighing as he knelt to tie his shoes.

"We do," Arthur insisted with a nod. "Why aren't you happy?"

"Daddy, you try being different like me and see how you like it," Leon huffed. He looked up at Arthur, frowning. "I am sorry for being impolite and disrespectful, but it's not fair that I was born different. It's not fair that I'm not white like everyone else! It's not fair that I don't have a Mummy! It's not fair that you didn't spend time with me until a few months ago! Daddy, people say it's okay to be different, but it's really not!"

Arthur knelt next to Leon. "Why didn't you tell me you felt this way?" he asked, frowning as he put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Why didn't you say something?"

Tears trickled down Leon's cheeks. "I don't know," he sobbed. "I'm tired of it! I'm tired of being different! I want two parents! I want to be white! I want to spend more time with you!"

Arthur hugged him. "Leon, at least one of those things will be impossible to change," he softly said. "I can't make you white. But Leon, you are the most beautiful child I have ever laid eyes on." He sighed. "And I cannot promise you a Mummy either." The boy sniffled. "But I can promise you that I will spend more time with you like I have been. You will remain the highest priority in my life, and that will not change." Leon's breath calmed a little. "And though you may not love the things that make you different, I love what makes you different, because it's what makes you Leon Kirkland." He kissed the side of the boy's head. "I hope one day you will love what makes you different."

Leon wrapped his tiny arms around Arthur's neck. "Can you help me?"

"Of course I can, Leon," Arthur said. "And I won't stop until you love everything that makes you Leon."

"Daddy, I'm sorry for how ungrateful I am at times," he said, pulling away. "While kids at school have a mummy and a daddy, I don't think theirs love them as much as you love me. So thank you for loving me."

"Just remember that I'm not the only one who loves you," Arthur reminded, tying Leon's tie for him and tucking it into his vest. "Miss Victoria loves you a lot, and I know Alfred loves you too."

Leon smiled. "I'm excited that I get to spend time with Miss Victoria tonight!" he said, giggling. "But are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

"Of course," Arthur said, standing up. He smoothed Leon's untidy hair as the boy rose to his feet as well. "I'll have Alfred here to keep me company until you get home. No need to worry, love. All that matters is that you have fun with Miss Victoria, okay?"

Leon grinned and nodded. "Got it!" He grabbed Arthur's hand. "Now we should get going, Daddy, or I'll be late for school!" His smile widened when he turned around. "Is Alfred picking me up from school with you?"

"Doesn't he always?" Arthur asked. It warmed his heart to see Leon's smile where a frown rested just minutes before. He walked out the door with Leon, holding his collar with one hand as he locked the door after them with the other. "We will both be there, and we will get you ready for you evening with Miss Victoria when we get home."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Leon excitedly said, smile so wide his eyes nearly squeezed shut. He clung tightly to Arthur's hand the whole walk to school. "I'm glad that God gave me to you and no one else!"

"You know, I've pretty glad about the same thing," Arthur agreed, swinging their hands between them. "Out of any son in the entire world, I'm glad that I got you."


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, stranger," Alfred greeted, walking up behind Arthur as he stood by his usual lamppost, waiting for Leon to get out of school.

Arthur smiled, turning to Alfred. "Good afternoon, Private Jones," he formally greeted, something he usually did around the parents at the school. He glanced around briefly for Allistor and sighed in relief when he couldn't find him.

Alfred leaned against the lamppost with him. "What's eatin' you?" he asked, brow furrowing.

"I beg your pardon," Arthur indignantly stated.

The American peered at Arthur through his glasses. "You heard me. Something is bothering you."

"You Americans and your stupid phrases," Arthur grumbled, looking away. "If you must know, I'm watching out for Allistor."

"Someone is a bit of a killjoy this afternoon," Alfred commented, exhaling. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed.

Arthur frowned. "Look, I'm not trying to be," he quietly said. "I've been anxious all day because I'm excited for tonight is all. And I don't want to run into Allistor because I don't want him to put me in a bad mood again. He does a rather fine job of that."

At the mention of later that night, Alfred's cheeks turned bright red. "Then we'll hope he doesn't show up," he finally said. His heart pounded in his chest, yet he hoped that Arthur wouldn't notice.

"Rather," Arthur agreed with a nod.

Alfred pretended he knew what that meant, nodding as well.

Leon ran out of the school gates to them. "Daddy! Alfred!" He hugged each of them. "Let's head home. I can't wait to go with Miss Victoria tonight!"

Arthur grabbed Leon's hand as they walked down the sidewalk toward their flat. "Did you have a good day at school, Leon?"

Leon nodded. "It was swell!"

"I can tell Alfred taught you some new words," Arthur stated, looking over at the American, who grinned back. "Lovely."

"I have a question for you," Alfred said, looking down at Leon, who looked up at him. "When will you turn six?"

"My birthday is on July first!" Leon proudly stated, smiling widely.

"Well I'll be damned," Alfred muttered.

"Alfred, language!" Arthur hissed, elbowing him in the side.

Alfred, realizing what he had said, cleared his throat. "That's real' neat, Leon!" he excitedly said. "Do you want to know what's so neat about that?"

Leon was nearly bouncing with excitement as he walked. "Tell me!"

"That's my brother's birthday, too," Alfred told him, smiling.

"No way! I have the same birthday as Captain Williams?" the small boy excitedly asked.

Alfred nodded. "You have the exact same birthday as Mattie," he confirmed.

"The words 'exact' and 'same' literally mean the same thing, Alfred," Arthur sighed, though he couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm shared between Leon and Alfred. "So Alfred, tell me, you once said yours and Matthew's birthdays are very close. When is yours?"

"Mine is on the good ol' fourth of July," Alfred proudly stated, "the same day my country got its freedom from Europe!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "This better not become one of those speeches, Alfred," he sighed.

Alfred laughed loudly. "Nah, I'll spare you that, since you're British and proud."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," Arthur stiffly stated, shooting him a sharp look.

The American shrugged. "We're all on the same side this time around, so it's okay."

"This time around?" Leon asked. "What do you mean?"

"Do you know much about the histories between our countries, Leon?" Alfred asked the boy, who shook his head. "You'll understand in time, big guy."

.

After seeing Leon off with Victoria, Arthur joined Alfred in the living room. Having not had much experience openly with romance in nearly six years, he had no idea where to begin. He sat on the couch next to Alfred and placed his hand gently on the American's thigh.

"You feeling okay?" Alfred asked, glancing over at him. "You just seem a little off?"

"I guess I sort of just built up the whole evening in my head, and now that it's finally here I have no idea what to do," Arthur admitted, stunning even himself when he heard it out loud.

Alfred smiled. "So you would rather I lead?" he asked, grinning.

"Don't be so confident in yourself," Arthur teased. "When was the last time you were romantic with anyone but me?"

"You got me there," Alfred admitted. "But it was probably more recent than you."

Arthur scoffed. "Then lead away, love," he huffed. "Charm me. Show me why I fell in love with you in the first-"

He was immediately cut off as Alfred's lips smashed into his feverishly. Arthur's lips immediately parted to let Alfred do as he wished as he threw his arms around the desirable American's neck, moaning softly as he did so.

Alfred broke of the kiss. "Already?" he teased regarding Arthur's moan. "I'm only getting started."

Arthur's cheeks heated up as Alfred's hands gripped his hips tightly as his kissed his lips and then along his jaw. He moaned softly as Alfred trailed kisses up and down his neck. His hands pulled at the tie around his neck until it loosened and he pulled it off, unbuttoning his shirt and slipping it off. He felt as if he had begun to overheat.

Alfred broke off the kiss to marvel at a new sight he hadn't seen yet. "Arthur, you're…" His eyes took in Arthur's slender, bare torso. There wasn't nearly as much muscle or definition as Alfred's, but it was nothing short of spectacular to the American. "You're amazing." He trailed kisses along Arthur's collarbone and back up his neck, across his jaw, and back to his lips. "I love you," he whispered as he removed his own shirt and tie.

Arthur watched, green eyes fascinated, as Alfred removed the uniform shirt. He couldn't move his eyes from the perfectly chiseled torso, the defined muscles of his abdomen. His fingertips ran across them, tracing them in what almost felt like jealousy. "Lovely," he softly told Alfred. "You are lovely."

Alfred silenced Arthur once more by kissing him again, his tongue tracing the inside of the British man's mouth. Arthur was helpless against Alfred, yet he was perfectly fine with it. He wanted this. He wanted to experience Alfred in a whole new way. That was what he wanted. Arthur wanted to know what it would feel like for his body to become on with Alfred's, just how it had become one with Mei's many years before.

Arthur moved, positioning himself on Alfred's lap so he was straddling his lover's hips, facing him. He used his tongue to explore Alfred's mouth, the American releasing small moans. He began to feel dizzy, as if intoxicated by Alfred, so he moved along, trailing kisses from Alfred's lips along his jaw, down his neck, across his collarbone, until he moved himself from Alfred's lap and to his knees as he trailed kissed down Alfred's torso to the waistline of his military pants.

Arthur stopped at the waistline. "Alfred," he stated, clearing his throat. He stood and picked up the discarded shirts and ties from the floor before offering the American his hand. "Let's take this elsewhere."

Alfred's eyes widened as he took Arthur's hand and was led down the hallway to Arthur's bedroom. His jaw dropped when he saw the jar of vaseline on the bedside table. He gulped and turned to Arthur. "You're sure?" he softly asked.

Arthur reached down and began messing with the button on Alfred's uniform pants. "I initiated this, Alfred," he reminded. "I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't sure."

Alfred's hands reached down to help Arthur with his pants. "If this is what you want, then I won't stop you." His inhaled sharply and gasped out as the heavy military fabric fell around his ankles.

"Step out of them," Arthur instructed, unfastening the button of his trousers. "You don't need them." He removed the trousers and added them to the pile of the shirts and ties, hinting that Alfred do the same with his.

Alfred nodded and gulped, following suit. He began to feel slightly nervous, having not done something like this since he was fifteen. "I suddenly don't feel like much of a leader," he timidly admitted.

Arthur pressed himself against Alfred, their bare chests touching and sending electrifying sparks through each of their bodies. "Then let desire take over," he breathlessly answered before pressing feverish kisses to Alfred's collarbone, fingertips plucking at the waistband of Alfred's boxers.

Alfred took the hint and slowly removed the boxers, feeling oddly different in front of Arthur. It was the first time he was fully exposed to this man, nothing to hide. Yet it was a good different, an almost refreshing different. He had to stop himself from breathing a sigh of relief.

Arthur quickly removed his as well so Alfred wasn't alone, and he felt it as well. So free, as if he had nothing to hide from Alfred ever again. He took the American's hand and led him over to the bed, gesturing for him to sit, which he did. And once Alfred was seated against the headboard, Arthur seated himself on his lap, straddling his hips, facing him. This time was different, though. This time, this would lead to so much more.

Alfred moaned out as Arthur kissed him, the skin on skin contact nearly driving him insane. Arthur was even slightly surprised by the moan, having never heard Alfred moan like that. Then again, this time they didn't have to worry about waking Leon. This time, it was all about them.

Alfred blindly reached for the jar of vaseline on the bedside table, replacing it with his fogged up glasses. He didn't need those at that moment anyway. All he needed was Arthur. His hands screwed off the lid of the jar at almost inhuman speed as he dipped a couple fingers in.

Arthur remained kissing Alfred once aware of what he was doing. He knew what was coming, yet he remembered that it was what he wanted. He felt Alfred's vaseline-coated fingers as the trailed down his back, lower and lower. A sharp intake of breath was his response to the first finger.

Alfred froze for a moment before Arthur shook his head and continued kissing him. "Keep going, love," he insisted between kisses. "Please. I want this."

That was all the coaxing Alfred needed to continue. Within minutes, he was certain they were both ready. Arthur whimpered impatiently when Alfred removed his fingers but then his eyes widened when Alfred began to reposition him on his lap. The time had finally come. This was the moment of truth for them.

Arthur's thoughts were coursing with all sorts of things at that moment. He didn't feel any of the pain he was expecting to feel over the insane amounts of pleasure he could have never dreamed of. His moans filled the room before he realized Alfred was moaning as well.

Alfred had paused at first after entering Arthur, but Arthur's reaction was something completely unexpected. He had expected Arthur to be hurting, but he wasn't at all. Whether Arthur realized it or not, he was almost bouncing, as if begging Alfred to pick of the pace, which the American couldn't argue with at all.

It all happened so fast. One moment, they were both going with all their strength and desire, and the next, they were laying together, a sweaty mess of tangled limbs. Both were breathing heavily as they laid side-by-side.

"Alfred," Arthur panted, trying to catch his breath. His hand reached up and stroked the American's cheek fondly. "I love you," he whispered. He moved over to kiss Alfred, his lover meeting him halfway.

"I love you too, Arthur," Alfred said, smiling as he kissed him. He brushed Arthur's untidy blond bangs out of his eyes. His hand reached out for Arthur's as he intertwined their fingers.

Arthur sighed out softly. "Why would someone as amazing as you love someone as dull as me?" he softly questioned. "I ask myself that question constantly."

Alfred grinned at him. "You're not the only one."

Arthur gazed at Alfred with his emerald eyes. "You know, Alfred, you look rather handsome without your glasses."

"And I don't with them?" Alfred teased.

Arthur huffed out, pouting. "You know what I mean," he said, running his fingers through Alfred's hair. "You're lovely, Alfred F. Jones."

"Ever thought you may be lovely too, Arthur Kirkland?" Alfred asked, batting his eyes at Arthur, joining in on the banter. He sighed out, smiling. "God, those eyes of yours…"

"Stop it," Arthur said, blushing as he buried his face in his pillow. His head was still spinning. He felt as if he were drunk, yet he knew he hadn't consumed any alcoholic beverages in weeks. Even when Mei was alive, he had never felt intoxicated after kissing or sleeping with her. It stirred guilt in his conscious, almost making him feel sick.

Alfred grinned widely. "I mean it, though, Arthur. Those green eyes of yours. I could stare into them for hours and never get bored of it." He squeezed Arthur's hand. "I will never tire of you."

"Likewise, love," Arthur responded, bringing his face out to look at Alfred. "Tell me, are you near or far sighted?"

"I can see things up close, but not far away," Alfred answered.

"Nearsighted," Arthur confirmed with a nod. "What about Matthew?"

"He's my opposite," Alfred laughed. "We're like night and day."

"Which would you say you are?" Arthur asked, snuggling up to him. "Night or day?"

"Night," Alfred answered, not even pausing to think.

"Why do you say that?" Arthur asked.

"Nighttime is when you can do what you want and no one is around or awake to question it," Alfred simply answered. "Nighttime is the only time when no one will judge me."

Arthur smiled. "I like the way you think," he mused. "I like your view of the world, Alfred. You see it differently than most, and your view of it is most extraordinary."

"You really think so?" Alfred asked.

"I do," Arthur honestly answered. "And would you like to know my favorite part?"

"What's your favorite part?" Alfred asked, grinning widely.

"That I'm somewhere in that world," Arthur softly stated.

Alfred chuckled to himself. "Not just somewhere, Arthur," he corrected. "You're everywhere."


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of the evening went well. Arthur had drawn a bath that he insisted they take together, which Arthur couldn't argue with. And after, Arthur fixed them dinner, which Alfred snickered over while he ate, wiping his mouth a lot and using many napkins.

That night, Alfred sipped at tea with Arthur in the living room, the British man leaning happily against him and humming softly to himself. Alfred slipped an arm around his lover's waist as he sipped at his tea, having never felt this content in his life. Arthur sighed out happily as Alfred's hand rested on his hip and squeezed softly every now and then, which brought a smile to Alfred's face.

"Alfred, may I ask you a personal question?" Arthur asked, setting his teacup on the coffee table.

Alfred glanced over, humming a response of curiosity as he looked into Arthur's captivating emerald eyes.

"Your name is Alfred F. Jones," he began. Alfred nodded slowly. "What does the 'F' stand for, love?"

"It originally stood for Franklin," Alfred stated as he thought back. "That was my grandfather's name on my mother's side." He sighed as Arthur nodded. "But when I became a ward of the state, I saved up my money and changed it to Foster, because I became a foster child to the great U.S. of A." He smiled proudly. "One day, I'll take you and Leon to Des Moines."

"Sounds French," Arthur commented, picking up his tea and sipping at it once more.

Alfred laughed. "Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, the state I'm from. But I'm from Dubuque originally."

"Again. French," Arthur commented, laughing into his teacup.

Alfred grinned over at him. "Iowa has very French names for some of its cities, Arthur."

"But I don't like the frogs, love."

"They probably don't like you either," Alfred teased back. He leaned forward and kissed Arthur's cheek.

"I might let you take me one day," Arthur decided. He then quickly set the teacup down on the coffee table and cupped Alfred's face in his hands before kissing him deeply.

"God, I love you," Alfred sighed out when they broke apart for air.

"Likewise," Arthur agreed with a love-drunken smile. He kissed him softly and then snuggled him, being careful about being in a common area. After all, he was unsure of when Victoria was bringing Leon home.

Alfred rubbed small circles into Arthur's lower back, causing Arthur to snuggle closer into the American so he could apply more pressure. Alfred picked up on the hint and applied more pressure. He soon began to laugh as soft moans escaped Arthur's lips.

"What's going on?" he teasingly asked.

"Oh, shut up," Arthur huffed. "But please keep doing that," he insisted when Alfred paused the hand movement. Arthur rolled his eyes as the American laughed. "See if I pleasure you ever again," he grumbled to himself.

"I knew that was why you were making those noises," Alfred laughed while Arthur blushed. "Why didn't you just tell me you were in the mood for one last go before Leon got home?"

"Because I don't know when he'll be home, so we might not have time for both of us," Arthur grumbled.

Alfred was already reaching for Arthur's belt buckle. "Don't worry about me, Arthur," he said. "This is about you right now." He unbuttoned Arthur's pants and unzipped them, Arthur's length immediately standing erect before them, popping out on its own.

Arthur was embarrassed. His face was cherry red as he said, "I can't help myself around you…"

"I like that," Alfred said with a wink before taking the entire length in his mouth, causing Arthur to shudder in pleasure.

Arthur tried to control the volume of his moans as he tried not to buck his hips. His fingernails dug into the couch cushions as he arched his back, moaning in pleasure. He felt like he was going insane as he could feel the climax building inside of him.

After a few more moments of this, it hit him. "Alfred!" he cried out as he released it all into his lover's mouth. And like always, Alfred swallowed it all.

Alfred came back up to Arthur's level. "Feel better?" he teased.

Arthur scoffed but then leaned forward and kissed Alfred's cheek before adjusting himself and fixing his pants and belt in case his son came home.

And the moment Arthur was decent, little footsteps were heard padding down the hallway.

"Daddy! Alfred!" Leon's voice called.

"Leon Kirkland, you better not be running!" Arthur called back.

The padding slowed considerably. "I'm not!"

Arthur and Alfred exchanged a smirk. "Good, because you know it upsets me."

Leon ran into the room and hopped right in between them on the couch. "Victoria had to go, so she dropped me off at the door and made sure I got in safe and locked it." He frowned. "I'm gonna miss her a lot, Daddy...She's been here all my life…"

Arthur snuggled his son, who was nearing tears. "She gave me the address, so we will write to her in Paris. Who knows? Maybe if Alfred were to be transferred, he'd get transferred there? Leon, goodbyes don't always mean forever." He kissed his son's forehead. "She will return when she finishes school."

Alfred quietly sat there, not wanting to interfere. He also didn't want to say what he had been holding in for awhile. Tonight was a good night. What he had to say could wait a day or two longer. After all, Leon was already sad enough.

Leon turned to Alfred. "You're not leaving too, are you?" he asked, sniffling.

Alfred's jaw dropped a little as he tried to process his thoughts into words. "N-Not right now," he stated, wording it into a way that wasn't a lie.

Arthur gave him a funny look. "Are you alright, Alfred?" He raised his eyebrows at the American, who shrugged. "We can talk later."

Alfred absently nodded. "Leon, how would you like to hear a story tonight?" he asked, ruffling the boy's head.

Leon nodded eagerly. "I would love to, Alfred!" He turned to Arthur. "Is that okay, Daddy?"

Arthur checked the time. "You have time for a story, but only if you get ready for bed right now."

"Okay!" The boy eagerly hopped up and ran to his room to change into his nightgown and prepare for bed. "I'll come get you when I'm ready, Alfred!"

"I'll be right here, big guy," Alfred assured, smiling.

"Alfred, what's bothering you?" Arthur asked once Leon ran off, much to his dismay.

Alfred shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it right now," he softly said. "Maybe later?"

Arthur nodded, feeling his stomach sink. He had suspicions, but chose to ignore them as he leaned forward and kissed Alfred's cheek reassuringly. "It's all going to be okay, love."

Alfred quickly kissed Arthur's lips while he was so close. "I love you," he softly said. "And I'm for certain now that I always will."

"Alfred, you mean that?" Arthur asked, feeling as if the breath were knocked out of him by Alfred's words.

Alfred nodded, biting his lip. "I've never been more sure of anything in my whole life."

"You're acting strange, Alfred," Arthur cautiously said. "What's going on?"

Alfred sighed. "We'll talk later," he said as Leon came back in his nightgown, the white fabric drifting around his ankles.

"I'm ready, Alfred!" he excitedly said. He grabbed Alfred's hand. "Come tell me a story, please! Daddy, you come, too!"

Alfred smiled and stood up. "How about it, Arthur? Wanna come hear the story? I think you'll like this one." He nodded toward Leon's room. "Come on."

"Yeah, Daddy!" Leon excitedly encouraged. "You should come, too! I've always wanted you and Alfred to tuck me in!"

Arthur stood. "Very well then." He grabbed Leon's other hand and walked with them to his room.

Leon climbed into his bed and got under the covers, leaning against his pillows. Alfred sat on the edge of the bed with Arthur on the other side of him at the end. The small boy smiled excitedly at the American, his small, brown eyes wide with excitement, eager to hear the story.

"Well, once upon a time, there was a boy who was always ignored by his family. No one cared about him except his brother," Alfred began. "He felt that if he were to just disappear, it wouldn't be too much of a loss to anyone. His mother didn't love him, and his father never wanted him."

"That's so sad," Leon said, frowning.

"It is," Alfred agreed, nodding as he frowned grimly. "One day, the boy fell in love with someone who was really mean to him. But he felt that person was the only person who would ever really love him and care about him, so he almost gave up everything just to be with this person forever."

"Did he?" Leon asked, blinking in surprise.

Alfred shook his head. "He didn't. His brother wouldn't let him. And when his brother found out what was going on, he put an end to it immediately." He smiled to himself. "The boy swore he would never let his emotions get in the way of his life ever again." He was quiet for a moment. "But he didn't keep that oath to himself."

"Why not?" Leon asked.

"Because he found a person who became a beacon of hope in the darkness that consumed him," Alfred said. "And he made friends who made everything worth living and fighting for. He joined the military and found a reason to keep everyone safe."

Leon was quiet for a few long moments before saying, "He's you, isn't he?"

Arthur smiled. "You're a very smart boy, Leon."

"How did you know that, Daddy?" Leon asked.

"I heard the story once as well," Arthur said. "And I'm glad he was able to tell you as well. I'm happy that Alfred trusts you to be able to hear his story."

Leon shimmied out from under his covers and crawled over to Alfred. He wrapped his little arms around his neck. "I'm sorry that they didn't love you," he told him. "But I love you."

"Glad to hear it," Alfred said, hugging the child back. "I love you too, big guy." He kissed the side of Leon's head. "How about you get some sleep now, okay?"

Leon yawned. "Okay, I will. I have school tomorrow anyway. Will you pick me up?"

"Of course," Alfred confirmed, smiling. "Isn't that what I always do?"

"When do you get transferred?" Leon asked.

"We don't need to talk about that right now," Alfred said, smoothing the boy's hair as he laid back down. "Just go to bed and dream of good things, like the war ending soon."

"But then if the war ends you'll go back to America," Leon yawned, frowning.

Alfred frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"Because that's where your family is," Leon said.

"I only have Mattie," he said. "And I've already talked to him about not even wanting to go back to America. I have too much fun here in London with you and your dad."

Leon gave Alfred a sleepy smile. "That makes me happy."

"I'm glad big guy," Alfred said, smiling back. He stood up. "See you tomorrow, Leon."

Arthur got up as well and leaned down to kiss Leon's forehead. "Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight, Daddy," Leon said. "I'll see you in the morning."

Arthur led Alfred back down the hall to the living room, where they sat in silence for about ten minutes. There wasn't much to say until they were certain Leon was asleep and wouldn't overhear or bother them. And even then, Arthur didn't know how to approach the subject.

"You got your transfer assignment this morning, didn't you?" Arthur slowly asked. Alfred slowly nodded, not daring to look up at him. "When is it?" he asked, trying to ignore the feeling of his heart shattering in his chest.

"I have two weeks left here," Alfred said. "They're waiting to transfer Mattie to France, and they're moving me to his unit because he works best with me."

"I don't understand what you mean by that," Arthur said. "'Works best with' you?"

"I'm not as quick-minded as the other guys," Alfred said, looking down in shame. "I'm what they call 'lower-functioning', and it's not fair."

Arthur frowned and sighed. "Alfred, look at me." He smiled warmly at Alfred when he looked up at him. "There is nothing 'lower' or 'slower' about you. Don't let someone slap a label onto the way you see and process things just because they see and process it differently than you do, love. I have never thought that in the entire time I've known you."

Alfred smiled. "Really?"

Arthur smiled back. "Really," he confirmed. "Sure, you can be loud sometimes, but you're just excited. And Lord forbid you get excited. Also, I love watching you and Leon get excited over things and I love watching you two play and interact. You have a way with children. You can understand him better than I can, and I am envious of that. Alfred, you are so much more than they will ever know if they try to slap a label on your way of thinking. Remember that."

"Just when I thought I couldn't fall any more in love…" Alfred sighed before leaning in and kissing Arthur, who eagerly kissed him back. "I promise I will write to you as often as I can. But since it's military mail, you won't be able to write back."

Arthur frowned at that. "Just knowing you're alive and well should be enough for me, love," he assured, trying to rid himself of the frown. Nothing was working. "Where in France are you going?"

"Paris," Alfred answered. "I'll keep an eye out for Victoria. Maybe she can deliver letters from you to me or vice versa," he suggested.

Arthur brightened a little. "She's the only person I would trust to do so," he admitted. "And if you were to ever see her struggling, I trust that you would help her."

Alfred nodded, smiling. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't? She's done so much for you, so why wouldn't I do something for her? Without her, tonight wouldn't have happened." He leaned forward and kissed Arthur once more. "I love you so much, Arthur. But it's like you told Leon earlier. Goodbyes don't mean forever."

Arthur's eyes sparkled with tears. "You're right, Alfred. They don't." He moved and sat on Alfred's lap so the American could hold him as he slowly lost his composure. "But how I wish they didn't even have to exist."

Alfred stroked Arthur's blond hair as he whispered low in Arthur's ear. "I know exactly what you mean, Arthur," he softly said. He kissed his cheek. "I wish we never had to say goodbye. And once this whole stupid war is over, I hope we'll never have to say it again."


	10. Chapter 10

Late May, 1942, London

Arthur sat with Leon and Alfred at the table very quietly. It was a very somber night for the three of them, for it was Alfred's last night in London. No one really felt like eating. Instead, they all just pushed their food around their plates until Arthur asked if everyone was done. The replies were short and mumbled, so Arthur cleared the table.

Leon wasn't his usual self that night. That night, he was very quiet and tight-lipped. He kept his head down and wouldn't really make eye contact with anyone. It worried Arthur very much, and he had no idea how long it would last once Alfred left.

Alfred knelt next to Leon once they had all gotten up. "Hey, what's eatin' you, kid?" he asked, frowning. "You've been moping around all night. I know I'm leaving and all, but I promise that I'll come back to you. If you want proof, you can even give me something to bring back to you to prove it. And if I don't end up bringing it back, you can hate me forever. How does that sound?"

Leon immediately turned back into his regular self and bolted toward his room, returning moments later with a small rubber ball. "This is my favorite ball," he explained. "I really liked to play catch with it with Miss Victoria. Maybe you and Captain Williams can play with it." He shrugged and held it out to Alfred. "You better bring it back, Alfred. It's my favorite, and I want to play catch with you and Daddy."

Alfred slowly and carefully took the ball from the small child. "You got it, buddy," he said, ruffling Leon's hair. "I won't let a thing happen to this ball." He put it in his shoe by the front door so he wouldn't lose it. "And that ball will come right back to you, big guy. I swear it."

Leon smiled brightly. "Good! It better!" He grinned widely. "Because it's my favorite ball, and you're my favorite soldier! Just don't tell Captain Williams that!"

Alfred laughed loudly, causing Arthur to cast him an annoyed look. "Don't worry, I won't."

.

That night, Alfred sat with Arthur on the couch. Arthur was seated on Alfred's lap as Alfred's fingers absently traced arousing patterns on Arthur's upper thighs.

"Alfred," Arthur quietly stated. "Leon stays asleep once he's asleep usually."

That got Alfred's attention. "Hmm?" he asked, listening intently.

"This is the last time I'll see you for awhile," Arthur began. "So let's, uh…" He hoped he wouldn't have to continue and that Alfred would get the hint.

Alfred smiled and pressed his lips to Arthur's. "Where?" he asked, breath hot on Arthur's ear. He was so aroused that Arthur could now feel it from where he was sitting. How had he not noticed before that? Alfred just kept kissing Arthur, though.

"My bedroom," Arthur stated between kisses. "Let's go."

Alfred stood up, carrying Arthur to his bedroom. He remained kissing his British lover as he laid him out on the bed. His fingers unbuttoned Arthur's shirt with expert ease as he placed kisses down his torso, causing Arthur to moan softly, which made Alfred even more aroused than before. His tongue licked carefully at the waistline of Arthur's trousers.

Arthur moaned out, arching his back. "Alfred," he softly said. "Please, I need more." His trousers felt rather tight in the crotch. "Please." He began to unbutton his pants.

Alfred moved Arthur's hands away, shaking his head. "No, allow me," he said. His hands undid Arthur's trousers and pulled them down, revealing Arthur's fully erect member. He smiled and licked at it, relishing the moans from Arthur as he arched his back. "I need more of those beautiful noises from you."

Arthur was panting softly, feeling as if he were unable to control himself around Alfred. He sat up and shrugged his shirt off, tossing it aside. His fingers unbuttoned Alfred's shirt faster than Alfred unbuttoned his. He slid it from Alfred's broad shoulders and down his arms, tossing it aside as well. He took in Alfred's toned torso, running his fingers along it before kissing and licking it.

Alfred moaned softly. "Arthur, you are just…" He sighed out and ran his fingers through Arthur's hair. "Keep going…"

Arthur eagerly did as told. He managed to get Alfred's pants undone with no help from the American. His eyes stared longingly at his lover's length as it popped through his boxers. He took it into his mouth and licked all around it, Alfred's moans like music to his ears.

Arthur shimmied out of his pants as Alfred followed suit. "Alfred, I want you inside me one more time before you leave," he softly pleaded. "Please, please do this for me." He moved onto Alfred's lap and kissed him feverishly.

"Vaseline," was all Alfred said as Arthur reached behind himself and found the jar. Alfred coated his fingers in it. "Just let me know when."

"Now," Arthur responded. "I want you now." He bounced eagerly on Alfred's thighs.

Moments later, there were quiet moans that grew louder as passionate love-making ensued. Only this time, it was different than before. This time, it was being able to say goodbye. This time, they were expressing how much they really did love each other. This time was their last time for awhile, and they wanted it perfect, which it was.

.

Arthur snuggled with Alfred afterwards. He could barely keep his eyes open as they laid there. They had gone made love three times that night, and he was exhausted. All he wanted was for Alfred to hold him until he finally fell asleep. Though he wondered if that was something he wouldn't get.

"I don't want you to leave," Arthur softly told him. "I want you to stay here with me forever."

"I would give anything to be able to do that," Alfred sighed. "But we can't always get what we want." He frowned. "No matter how badly that want may feel like a need." His lips pressed to Arthur's damp forehead as he looked out the window at the stars. "But I will stay here until you are asleep."

"No," Arthur said. "I need to lock the door."

"I'll put your house key under the mat," Alfred told him. "It will be okay, Arthur. Please, just let me leave you like this. Let me leave while you're asleep. It won't hurt as bad for you that way." He held his breath. He knew it would hurt for him, though, yet his mind wasn't thinking about himself. "And I'll be sure to stop into Leon's room and say goodbye without waking him before I leave."

"Alfred…" Arthur's eyes glistened with tears.

"No," Alfred softly said. "Arthur, please don't cry. Please don't do this to me. I can't let you do this to me." He kissed Arthur's eyelids. "Please stay strong for me tonight. I need you to."

Arthur took a deep breath and nodded. He had to do this. He had to stay strong for Alfred, and he knew that he could. Even if he felt like he was dying on the inside. "I will," he told his love. "I'll stay strong for you."

Alfred smiled. "Thank you." He pressed another kiss to Arthur's forehead. "Why don't we get dressed? I'll get back in my clothes, and you get into nightclothes."

Arthur nodded and numbly dressed himself as Alfred did the same. His heart felt as if it may shatter at any given moment. His fingers were numb, and he was almost unsure of how he managed to get his clothes on himself. But somehow, by some miracle, he did it. He managed to get dressed and managed to crawl back into bed next to Alfred, who snuggled him and made him feel tired, no matter how hard he tried to fight it.

"Arthur, it's okay to fall asleep," Alfred insisted. "Don't deprive your body of something it needs over something like this."

"Something like this?" Arthur asked. He wanted to shake Alfred and ask him exactly what he meant by that! How could he even think to say something like that? What did he mean by something like this?! This was everything Arthur had! And now it was being taken away in a flash, just like Mei was! Arthur felt like his heart wouldn't be able to take it. He felt as if he were dying, but he remembered that he had to stay strong for Alfred. But how was Alfred not falling apart right now? How was Alfred remaining so strong?

"I'm making believe that you're in my arms, though I know you're so far away," Alfred softly sang.

Arthur closed his eyes as he listened to Alfred's amazing voice lull him to sleep. That voice was a singing voice like none he had heard before. It could charm anyone who listened to it, and yet it made Arthur feel special that he was the person Alfred chose to sing to. He began to slowly drift off into a dream world, a dream world where Alfred would stay with him forever.

The last thing he heard before falling asleep was Alfred's voice softly singing, "Making believe is just another way of dreaming, so until my dreams come true

I'll whisper goodnight, turn out the light, and kiss my pillow, making believe it's you."

.

Arthur woke the next morning to Leon crawling into his bed with him. He usually never noticed when his son did that, yet that morning he somehow noticed. His emerald eyes opened to find two brown ones peering back at him.

"Daddy," Leon softly said, "he left a note for me."

"Who did?" Arthur asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Alfred did," Leon said, holding up a piece of paper. He squinted at it. "I can only read my name, but I know it says Leon on the front, and nothing else."

Arthur was immediately wide awake. He sat up and held out his hand for the note, which Leon placed there. His eyes scanned through the note as a smile crossed his face. It was just like Alfred, being so thoughtful as to leave a note behind for Leon.

"What does it say, Daddy?" Leon asked, peeking over Arthur's arm and resting his head on the crook of Arthur's elbow.

Arthur read the note aloud as follows:

Dear Leon,

Goodbyes are always tough, aren't they, kiddo? I'm sorry that we have to say goodbye. But I made sure I had your ball with me when I left your house last night. That way, I'll always have it with me and can't possibly forget it. I'll bring it back to you at the end of this stupid war, I promise you. And like I said before, if I don't, you can hate me forever.

There are some things I want you to know. Your daddy loves you so much, Leon. And I know for a fact that things will not go back to how they used to be before I showed up, because he realized that what was happening was not what he wanted for either you or him. I am glad that you two have each other. I also enjoyed our time together. I had so much fun spending my afternoons playing with you and helping you with homework. There were days I felt like you were my kid brother or nephew or something. I know I will really miss you, and I love you a lot, Big Guy.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your family while I was in London, Leon. I will never forget the kindness you and your father showed to me. When I make my way back through Europe on my way back to America, I will be sure to stop by your house and give my regards. Until then, I'll write to you whenever I get the chance.

Thank you for the magic.

Love,

Private Alfred Foster Jones

Arthur blinked a few times to keep the tears from coming. Never had a piece of paper left him feeling so empty inside. He felt so torn apart and broken and didn't know what to do. But the last thing he wanted to do was lose it in front of Leon.

"Daddy, I'm really going to miss him," Leon said, sniffling. He didn't look up at Arthur at all as he said so, but Arthur knew he was holding back tears. "I think I want to take my bath before school."

"Need help running the water?" Arthur asked.

Leon shook his head. "I think I've got it," he said, getting up. "But thank you. I'll be quick." He quickly got up and headed out of Arthur's room.

Arthur just sat on his bed and finally fell apart. He cried out what he couldn't the night before. His eyes flooded over like a broken dam, and the only thing that could fix it was Alfred, the only thing he didn't have. He just didn't know what to do. His heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces and Alfred was the only thing that could put it all back together. Alfred was the only thing that could make things right again, but he was nowhere to be found. Nowhere. Arthur hadn't felt this alone since Mei died. His heart felt as broken as it had the day Leon was born.

Leon. That beautiful boy brought Arthur back to earth. Arthur had to stay strong for his son. If anything, Leon was worth the pain. It was worth enduring to see Leon smile, laugh, to see Leon happy. Anything was worth that. He had to stay strong for his little boy, like he hadn't for the past five years.

But how would he ever be able to manage any of this without Alfred? How would things be okay without that annoyingly charming American? How would Arthur's heart be able to take this? Would Arthur ever be able to recover if Alfred never returned?

'No,' Arthur mentally chided himself. 'Don't you dare think that way, Arthur Kirkland!' But it was so hard not to! Alfred had a dangerous job, but without that job, they never would have met. Why did everything have to be so complicated and hard? Arthur would never understand why the world had to be this way. And maybe, by this point, he just flat-out didn't want to understand.

.

Mid-June, 1942, London

Arthur sat back in the living room with a cup of tea while Leon did his homework after school one day. The mail had yet to arrive, and neither of them had received a letter from Alfred yet. They knew that war was a busy time and refused to lose hope. Both pairs of ears perked up at the sound of the mailbox opening and closing with a loud, rusty creak.

Leon sprang up from where he was sitting on the floor and Arthur stood. They both hurried to the door to find that it was a letter from Victoria. Leon frowned a little as Arthur scanned through the letter, eyes widening when he saw Alfred's name in it.

"Leon, they ran into each other," Arthur softly said. "She ran into Alfred."

"When? Where?" Leon excitedly asked, jumping around Arthur's legs as he walked back to the living room and sat on the couch.

Arthur frowned as he read the part of the letter concerning Alfred. "Some people were being mean to her at night while she was walking home from a class," Arthur told him, leaving out the part that they were grown, drunk men trying to get her to go home with them. "Alfred and his brother were in a building nearby and heard the racket being caused by it and stopped them. After that, they walked her home and made sure she was safe. She says now one, or even sometimes both, of them walk her home every night that she has a late class."

"That sounds just like what Alfred did for me!" Leon excitedly said, smiling. "He really is a nice person! Alfred is a real hero, Daddy!"

"He really is," Arthur agreed. Alfred truly was a hero in more ways than just one. "He's our hero, isn't he?"

Leon grinned widely. "Now he's Miss Victoria's hero, too! And Captain Williams!" He giggled happily. "This makes me so happy, Daddy! Alfred is the hero that he always dreamed of being!"

"He really is," Arthur agreed with a nod. He smiled at Leon. "How about we get ready for dinner? I'll go prepare it and you stay here and finish your homework, okay?"

Leon saluted Arthur like he and Alfred used to do when Arthur used to give this command when Alfred was around. "You got it, Daddy!"

Arthur smiled to himself, but his heart felt like it was breaking all over again. He left the room before he fell apart in front of Leon. He thought he would be happy to hear from or about Alfred, but why did it hurt so badly? Was it supposed to hurt like this? Why did everything hurt so bad every time he fell in love?


	11. Chapter 11

Late June, 1942, London

Dear Arthur,

You're right. France isn't great at all. Why they chose to name so many places in Iowa after French things is beyond me. Paris is said to be beautiful, but London is better. I don't care if the French censors see that and the officers get offended.

By the way, Mattie beat the shit out of some guy for harassing Victoria. It was like something out of the movies! I have never seen him so angry!

I hope Leon is being good for you. I hope the two of you are doing well.

Hoping for the best,

Private Alfred Foster Jones

Arthur held the letter close to his heart as he took deep breaths. It was his first letter from Alfred, and his heart felt like it was about to burst from every emotion possible. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he was glad Leon was at school and couldn't see him in this state. His breathing became uneven as he suddenly fell to his knees, sobbing.

He had given up all hope of hearing from his beloved Alfred only a week before, and now he got this wonderful letter. All of his emotions were now fully attacking his heart, and he was unsure of how to handle it. But most of all, he was happy and more in love than he had felt since the last time he saw Alfred. And though his chest hurt so badly from all of these feelings, he continued to breathe and sob and feel everything as deeply as he could.

"Alfred," he softly breathed out as he began to laugh. "I didn't think you'd ever write to me!" He began to laugh harder. "I need to believe more in you, love!" His arms hugged the letter closer to him as he laughed with joy and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm such an idiot! I'll never doubt you again!"

He kissed the letter over and over again as if it were Alfred. It may not be him, but it was the closest thing he had to that bloody American. He might as well make a fool of himself while there wasn't a pair of little eyes watching. His emerald eyes scanned over the letter again and again until he had it memorized. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest. Alfred really did write to him!

Before he knew it, it was time to pick Leon up from school. He sighed out happily as he put the letter back in its official envelope and placed it in the bottom of his sock drawer. His heart pumped wildly as he took deep breaths to compose himself. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide his outer joy, but he had to get rid of this lovestruck look before reaching the school. Someone would think something was up. Or worse, Leon might catch on.

A few minutes later, Arthur was ready to pick up Leon. He was smiling widely, but he figured Leon could think that would be because of anything. His whole walk to the school, he whistled a song that he had only heard once, yet he was amazed that he could even remember the tune. It was the song he and Alfred had danced to in his living room on that night that seemed so long ago. His heart felt light in his chest once more.

.

"Daddy, I haven't seen you smile like this in a long time," Leon said as they sat at a table together in a restaurant. "It makes me happy. I was almost sure that Alfred took your smile with you when he left."

Arthur blinked in surprise. What a thing for a child to say! "Why did you think that?" he asked.

Leon looked down into his lap, their food not having arrived yet. "You weren't the same once he left. You just seemed-I don't know-sad. Then when we got the letter from Miss Victoria, you seemed angry for awhile. Now today, you just seem happy." He looked up at Arthur. "Did something good happen, Daddy?"

Arthur debated telling Leon about the letter, knowing Leon was smart enough to piece it all together. "Nothing at all, love," he said. He smiled and patted his son's head across the table. "I'm just in a great mood."

"Well I'm glad that you are," Leon said, smiling. "I missed my happy Daddy."

Arthur smiled at that. He didn't realize how much of an effect his own happiness had on Leon's. "I'll try to be happier for you, Leon." His smile widened when Leon's did. "You're a wonderful child, and you deserve a happy father."

"That's what Alfred used to say to me," Leon quietly said. "He used to always say that I deserved many things."

"What kinds of things?" Arthur asked, smiling.

"He said that I deserved good friends to me, a happy father, a good education, and…" His voice trailed off.

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "What was that last part?" he asked.

"He always told me I deserved a second parent, whether it was a mummy or another daddy," the small child quietly said, knowing to keep his voice down about things like that. "And then I told him that I wanted him to be my second parent."

"And what did he say?" Arthur asked, interested in what Alfred would say in response.

"He said he would be glad to if you'd let him," Leon said, looking up at Arthur. "Would you let him, Daddy?"

Arthur nodded, looking as if he were putting a lot of thought into it. But he really wanted to answer immediately. He already knew his answer. There was no one else other than Mei that he would want to raise Leon with. "I think that would be nice," he answered. "I wouldn't mind that."

Leon's grin barely fit on his face. "Really? I'm so happy!" He smiled at the waitress as she placed his food in front of him. "Thank you so much, ma'am!"

"My, such a polite young boy!" she enthused. "We don't get boys like you very often anymore." She smiled at Arthur. "You must be one proud father."

Arthur smiled proudly. "I am," he assured. "He is my pride and joy."

"Keep him that way. We need more boys like him." She patted Leon's head. "And with a boy like him, maybe we can bring more hope into this world."

.

"Daddy, have you heard from Alfred yet?" Leon asked as Arthur tucked him in that night. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes. "I don't want to believe that he has forgotten us."

"He hasn't, love," Arthur assured. "I know he hasn't." He smiled at his son.

"How do you know?" Leon asked. He blinked his eyes curiously at Arthur and cocked his head to the side. "Did you hear from him, Daddy?"

"What kind of father would I be if I didn't know things?" Arthur asked with a wink. He smiled at Leon and kissed his forehead. "You should probably get to sleep, though. We wouldn't want you tired at school tomorrow, would we?" He smiled when Leon vigorously shook his head. "That's what I thought."

Leon yawned again. "I hope Alfred is doing well," he softly said, reaching out for Arthur's hand. He leaned back into his pillows and struggled to keep his eyes open.

Arthur smiled and let Leon hold his hand. "I believe that he's doing just fine, love," he assured. "We shouldn't believe otherwise. That could be bad luck for him. Should we say a prayer for him?"

Leon smiled. "You say it, Daddy. I'm too tired, but I'm pretty sure God would know it's from me too."

Arthur smiled at the sentiment. "All right then, Leon. Close your eyes." He smiled as Leon did as told and he did the same. "Dear Lord, please take care of our friend Alfred while he's in France. Please keep him dear to your heart, as dear as we keep him to ours. Please keep him safe and let no harm come to him. He is very special to us, and we know he is just as special to you. We say all these things in Your Son's name, Amen."

Leon opened his eyes. "Amen," he said, smiling. "I'm glad you prayed for him, Daddy. I haven't prayed as much since Miss Victoria left, but I think Alfred needs it."

"I think he does, too," Arthur agreed. "But do you feel better now that we prayed?"

Leon nodded eagerly before yawning once more. "God hears everything. He knows everything, too. At least that's what Miss Victoria told me. Do you believe that?"

Arthur nodded. "I do." Deep down, he really hoped not. Because then God would have seen the things he had done with Alfred, which he knew was against the Bible. Then again, Arthur knew that if God was as loving as the Bible said, God would still love him anyway. "Now, it's time for bed." He yawned. "Look at that, now you have me yawning."

Leon giggled. "Sorry, Daddy." He squeezed Arthur's hand. "I love you." His smile widened. "Have good dreams tonight, okay?"

"I most certainly will, as long as you do, too," Arthur said, smiling back. He kissed his son's forehead. "I love you, too, Leon." He stood up and smoothed Leon's hair. "Get some good sleep." He then blew out the light on the lantern in Leon's room and left, closing the door softly behind him.

Arthur went into his own room and sat in his chair in the corner where he usually read before bed. That night, he couldn't focus on a book to save his life. Instead, he just thought. That's all he could do. He thought mostly about Alfred's letter, but also about Leon's words. Leon really did adore Alfred, and Arthur's happiness really did affect Leon's. Arthur never thought that his mood ever mattered to anyone, but it turned out that it did. He would have to remember that.

He yawned and looked to his dresser. His mind went to the letter hidden in his sock drawer. He blushed as he remembered that he had it memorized, as he would most likely do with future letters. He just couldn't help himself. Alfred was just too perfect! His heart began to pound once more as he thought of that bloody American that stole his heart. Oh, how he would never be the same without him!

Arthur thought to that last night he and Alfred had spent together. He smiled as he thought of how perfectly they melded together, how perfectly their bodies meshed together. His heart began to pound but ache at the same time. Oh, how he missed Alfred more than anything as he sat alone in his room!

Arthur changed into his nightclothes and began to prepare for bed. Everything had become so routine for him that he barely noticed the days passing before him anymore. But now things were back to being full of life all because of one letter. He happily hummed to himself as he brushed his teeth and combed his hair. Once more, it was the song that he and Alfred had danced to in the living room.

Arthur laid in bed and thought about that song. He remembered the final words to the song and decided to follow through with them for the sake of being in love with the most perfect man in the world. "Goodnight," he whispered before turning out the light. He softly kissed his pillow, making believe it was Alfred. Then he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

.

Arthur woke early and made breakfast for Leon. He added in some strawberries to Leon's oatmeal, knowing that Leon would love it. He whistled cheerfully as he made his morning tea and poured some milk for Leon before going to wake him up.

Leon was already awake and struggling to tie his tie when Arthur knocked and walked into his room. "Daddy, can you help me with this? I can never get it," Leon sighed. He pouted a little, which Arthur found adorable, but didn't say anything.

Arthur knelt down in front of his son and smiled. "Of course I'll help you." He began to tie Leon's tie. "These things can be a bit tricky, can't they?" He finished and patted Leon's head. "I'm glad we're running ahead of schedule this morning. I made your favorite oatmeal this morning and even put strawberries in it."

Leon's eyes lit up. "Strawberries?!" he excitedly asked. "Really?!" He grinned widely and hugged Arthur tightly. "Thank you so much!" Without another word, he took off toward the kitchen.

Arthur chuckled to himself and followed. "Leon, slow down," he laughed. He walked into the kitchen to see Leon eagerly eating his oatmeal. "Don't choke, love," he said, sitting across the table from him to eat his toast and drink his morning tea.

Leon swallowed. "Daddy, this tastes amazing with strawberries!" He began to shovel more into his mouth.

"Leon, that is not the way a gentleman eats," Arthur scolded, looking at Leon over his cup of tea. "Properly chew and swallow your food, please."

"Yes, Daddy," Leon said before eating properly. He smiled around his spoon and ate his oatmeal happily. "This is amazing!"

"I'm glad you like it," Arthur said, smiling. He took a sip of tea. "Is there enough strawberries in there to your liking?"

"Plenty," Leon assured between bites. He smiled widely. "I'm very happy! Thank you, Daddy!"

Arthur smiled. Those were the kinds of things he loved to hear. Those were the kinds of things that made getting up early worth it. "You're welcome, Leon. I'm glad to see you so happy. I hope your happiness continues throughout the day as well."

"It will!" Leon assured. "Daddy, I have a question," he said."

"What is it?" Arthur asked before taking another sip and taking a bite of toast. He rested his head on his hand as he started to feel the lack of that hour of sleep.

"Blair wanted me to come over and play sometime," Leon said. "Would that be okay? And her daddy said he's sorry and that he wants to talk to you."

"Do you know what he wants to talk to me about?" Arthur asked. He raised an eyebrow and looked curiously at his son.

"I think he wants to talk about me," Leon softly said, looking into his oatmeal. "You know, about how I was born and Mummy died…"

"It wasn't your fault," Arthur assured. "You had nothing to do with it." He reached across the table, palm up.

Leon placed his hand in Arthur's. "How are you so sure?" he asked, scrubbing at his eyes with his sleeve on his free arm.

"Because she loved you so much," Arthur told him. "I can't remember a time when she was pregnant with you when she wasn't looking off into space and daydreaming about how happy she was that she was having you. She was always rubbing her belly fondly and singing to you before your were even born. She would always call you her precious gift from above. That's how I'm so sure."

Leon smiled a little. "So I didn't kill her?"

Arthur stood up and knelt next to Leon's chair. "You didn't kill your Mummy. I don't know what would ever give you that thought." He pulled his hand from Leon's and pulled Leon's arm from his eyes. His thumbs gently wiped his son's tears away as he kissed his forehead. "We both love you very much. And even though your Mummy isn't alive on this earth, she is still alive in my heart, and in yours. She loves you so much, and I know she is so proud of who your are. Just like that waitress from yesterday."

Leon smiled weakly. "She is?"

Arthur nodded. "Of course she is!" he assured. "What mother wouldn't be proud of a son who looks just like her with a heart of gold like yours?" He smiled widely. "Now how about your finish your breakfast? We should get you to school soon."

Leon smiled. "Thank you, Daddy. Every time I need to be told something good about me, or just need to hear the truth like that, you're always here to tell me. I'm happy about that."

"Me too, Leon," Arthur said, patting his head. "Now hurry up and eat, okay?" He kissed the top of Leon's head and went back to his chair. "Also, regarding Blair, I'll think about it, okay? After all, she is a rather lovely child. It's not right to make her sad because her father wasn't nice to me. She's nice to you, right?"

"She's very nice to me," Leon told him. "Especially after she found out we're family." He smiled and finished his oatmeal. "I'll go comb my hair and brush me teeth. Then I'll be ready for school."

Arthur smiled proudly as he watched his son leave the kitchen. He picked the bowl up from the table and took it to the sink to wash it. He hummed to himself as he scrubbed at the bowl. His mood was very happy and cheery compared to how it usually was in the mornings.

"Daddy, you seem very happy," Leon said, coming back into the kitchen a few minutes later. "I'm glad that you are."

"You know, so am I," Arthur agreed, turning to him as they both put their shoes on.

And for the first time in over a month, Arthur was glad that he could agree to that. It had been so long since Arthur had felt genuinely happy like this. Perhaps when he was in a mood like this he could even forgive Allistor for everything. Maybe more than he thought was possible could become possible all due to a fantastic mood. And he could thank Alfred for it all.


	12. Chapter 12

July 1, 1942, London

Arthur smiled as he went for the mail. Today was a happy yet somber day for him, but he tried to focus on the positives. It was easier to focus on the positives after having Alfred enter his life, that was for sure. After all, it was the day he gained a son and lost a wife. He looked down at his wedding band that he still wore on his finger and sighed. Oh, how he missed her on this day every year.

He flicked through the mail. There was a letter from Victoria, but then there was a letter that made his heart leap in his chest. Alfred had sent one to Leon as well! But how had he known it would get to London on Leon's birthday?! Victoria! It had to be! But there were still two more military letters! Arthur looked to see that one was for him, from Alfred. The other was for Leon, from Matthew.

Arthur smiled to himself. Those brothers were so thoughtful to remember Leon's birthday. He then thought back to a conversation with Alfred and remembered that today was Captain Williams's birthday as well. He would have to have Leon write Victoria and have her thank them for him. His smile almost couldn't fit on his face. Leon was going to love this!

The moment Arthur got inside, he put the mail on the table and snatched up his own letter from Alfred. He had wanted another letter from Alfred so badly that his heart could barely take it! He opened it carefully and unfolded it, eyes eagerly taking in every word.

Dear Arthur,

Be strong today. I know it's hard, but think of it as a milestone in your son's life. He's six today! I don't know what Mattie and I have planned today. He hasn't been feeling well these past couple days. He says it's back pain, but I don't know how he hurt his back.

I walk Victoria home nearly every night now. She appreciates my company on her way home from class. It's dark and dangerous here in France at night for a pretty girl like her. I would be worried if she walked alone, so it makes me happy that she trusts me enough to do a good deed for her like this.

Anyway, I hope today is easier this year than it has been for the past few years.

From,

Private Alfred Foster Jones

Arthur smiled and folded up the letter, putting it back in the envelope. Leave it to Alfred to be considerate of Arthur's feelings on his son's birthday. Arthur blinked back some tears. He was so happy to be in love with this man. He almost couldn't contain his joy.

.

Leon ran up to Arthur after school. "Daddy, I have a question!" he excitedly said. He tugged on Arthur's hand.

Arthur smiled down at Leon. "What's your question, Leon?" he asked, kneeling to Leon's level so he could fix the boy's tie, which had somehow become crooked.

"Is there a chance that Blair could come over and play tomorrow?" Leon asked. "And then her father could come and talk to you. That way if things get nasty between you two you could just ask him to leave."

Arthur thought it over in his mind. "I don't see why not," he finally decided. He had been thinking about Leon's friendship with his cousin for the past week. He was dreading the day this question would be coming up, but it didn't strike as much panic in his heart as he thought it would when it finally did.

Leon grinned widely. "Daddy, you seem happy again today!" He hugged Arthur when he finished with the tie.

"Why wouldn't I be happy? It's your birthday!" Arthur answered. "Also, you have three letters waiting for you at home. And all three of them are just for you."

Leon's eyes widened. "Who are they from? Is one from Alfred?! Or Captain Williams?! Today is his birthday too!"

Arthur shrugged and smiled back at him. "I don't know," he said. "They're back at home." He winked at his son. "Maybe we should get back home and find out."

Leon clung to Arthur's hand. "Yeah!" he excitedly agreed. "But first, can we find Blair and invite her and her daddy over for tomorrow?"

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, we can do that." He scanned the crowd for his brother. It shouldn't be too hard to find Allistor. How hard could it be to find a loud-mouthed redhead who was full of himself?

"Leon! Over here!" Blair called, waving to them. She was standing next to Allistor and holding his hand.

Arthur walked over, holding Leon's hand. "Hello, Blair, Allistor," he greeted. "Leon and I were wondering if the two of you would like to join us tomorrow after school in our home for a playdate."

Allistor looked to Arthur. "That sounds like it would be fun. And it would give us time to catch up, eh, Arty?"

Arthur clenched his jaw at the nickname, but tried not to make it noticeable. "Of course, Allistor," he answered, forcing a smile. "We live within walking distance of here, so we can all just meet up here tomorrow and walk to the flat after school tomorrow?"

"That sounds like a plan, Arthur," Allistor said.

Arthur smiled. "See you tomorrow, then," he said with a nod before walking away with Leon. "How was school?"

Leon smiled widely. "School was a lot of fun!" he enthused. "I really like it! I'm one of the smartest in my class!" He hopped over a crack in the sidewalk. "Me and Blair are the smartest!"

"Anyone with the last name Kirkland is smart," Arthur told him. "I thought I've told you that before." He smiled at Leon.

Leon grinned up at him. "I guess you're right then!"

"You guess?" Arthur scoffed. He rolled his eyes playfully while Leon giggled. "Thanks, Leon." He smiled at his son and squeezed his hand. "Did anything fun happen at school today?"

The boy thought for a moment. "Nothing especially fun," he decided after a moment. "I'm just really excited to get home and get my letters! I'm almost certain there's one from Alfred! What if there's one from Captain Williams? What about Victoria? She hasn't missed any of my birthdays before!" He grinned excitedly. "This will be the best birthday yet if none of them forgot it!"

Arthur smiled widely. None of them had, and that made him overjoyed to know that it made Leon so happy. He swung their interlocked hands between them as they walked. He wasn't about to ruin the surprise. It made him happy to leave Leon to wonder excitedly to guess who had written to him, even if he only knew those three people.

.

Dear Leon,

Happy Birthday, Big Guy! How does it feel to finally be six? I bet it's pretty swell! I remember being six, and it was a lot of fun! I hope you have the best birthday ever! You deserve it more than any other six-year-old on the planet! Wanna know why? Because you're my very favorite! That's why I hope today is extra special for you!

Be good for you daddy, because he loves you very much! Here's to many more great days!

Love,

Private Alfred Foster Jones

Dear Leon,

Happy Birthday! Did you know that today is my birthday as well? It's pretty neat that we share a birthday, don't you think? Anyone born in July has to be pretty swell, I'd say! Alfred's birthday is three days from today!

I hope that you get to spend your special day with your dad and that it's extra special this year! You deserve it, Leon!

Love,

Captain Matthew Williams

Dear Leon,

Happy Birthday, Buddy! I was able to measure the time it takes for letters to get back and forth between us so I could tell Captain Williams and Private Jones when to send their letters so they could get to you on your special day! That's my special present to you! I hope your birthday is extra special this year, Leon!

I miss you a lot! I hope you are doing well! Are you enjoying being six years old? I bet you have made so many friends at school! Are you and Blair still getting along? I wish all the happiness in the world for my favorite boy in the whole world!

All my love,

Victoria

Leon grinned happily up at Arthur. "All three of them wrote to me, Daddy! Not just one, but all three!"

Arthur couldn't remember the last time he had seen a smile that wide on his son's face. "Looks like they did, doesn't it?" He smiled back at his son. It made him glad to see Leon so happy. "Are you happy about that?"

"You bet!" Leon excitedly said. "This is the best birthday ever!" He hugged Arthur tightly. "Thank you for reading me their letters, Daddy! I'm so happy that you did!"

"You're welcome, Leon," Arthur said. "And now for your present from me." He went to his room and got a small box out from his closet, bringing it to the living room where Leon patiently waited. "It's from both Alfred and I."

Alfred had saved up chocolate from his rations for Leon's birthday. Since everyone in Europe had been on sweets rations for the past few years, Alfred thought it would be special to give Leon some American chocolate for his birthday, which Arthur thought was a lovely idea until Alfred mentioned that it was superior to British chocolate anyway. Either way, Arthur saved the chocolate for Leon, making it special for his son.

Leon carefully unwrapped the box, opening it to find five Hershey's bars. "What are these?" he asked, staring at them with wide-eyed fascination.

"That is American chocolate," Arthur answered. "Alfred thought you would like it, so he saved some for you while he was here."

Leon looked up at Arthur and smiled, yet his eyes looked as if he were holding back tears. "He did?" the boy asked, touched. He scrubbed at his eyes for a moment with the back of his hand. "Is there any way I can thank him?"

"I'm sure Victoria can thank him for us," Arthur said with a smile. He was glad that he raised a child who was grateful for the things given to him. His hand patted Leon's head lovingly. "We'll write back to her and ask her to thank him, okay?"

Leon nodded. "I would like that a lot." He smiled. "And I have to thank Miss Victoria for being so smart and figuring out how to get all the letters here on my birthday!"

Arthur smiled widely. "Yes, we'll have to do that, won't we? I can help you spell it, but you should write it. It will mean more if it's in your handwriting."

Leon smiled. "Oh, I can write it if I know how to spell it," he assured, smiling. "I'm smart enough!" He smiled and tapped his finger against his temple.

Arthur grinned back. "That's my smart boy," he proudly said. "I'm glad that I have a genius for a son!" He pulled Leon onto his lap and snuggled his son, who didn't seem to mind. He kissed the boy's cheek. "Happy Birthday, love."

Leon grinned up at him. "Thanks, Daddy! It's the best birthday ever!"

Arthur smiled happily. "I'm glad." And that he truly was. He was so happy that he was close with his son and no longer depended on alcohol to take his sadness away. His relationship with his son was what kept him going through the day. It was something he was more proud of than anything in the world.

Leon yawned a little. "When is dinner, Daddy?" he asked. "I'm getting sleepy?"

Arthur checked the grandfather clock in the corner. It was around seven. "I suppose I should get started on dinner, shouldn't I? All right then. How about you get to work on your homework and I'll let you know when dinner is ready?"

Leon smiled. "Sounds swell."

Arthur smiled and did not correct his son. The term "swell" when used in that manner reminded him of Alfred, so he allowed it, especially since it was Leon's birthday. "I'll get dinner ready then." He got up and set Leon to work on homework, going to the kitchen.

His mind was filled with thoughts of the day. He was still surprised that he was able to be so civil with Allistor, even after all the stuff his brother had put him through. He was also so happy that Alfred, Victoria, and even Matthew had all written to Leon on his birthday! That had made the day so special for both of them! He began to hum happily as he cooked, feeling in high spirits.

He soon called Leon into the kitchen, having fixed chicken and noodles, his favorite. Leon ran in, smiling widely as he sat at the table with Arthur and ate happily. Arthur had never felt more content as they sat together at the table. It was a perfect dinner to end the perfect evening of a perfect day.

,

"Daddy, I think this is the greatest day I've had since Alfred left," Leon admitted as Arthur tucked him in that night. "I really mean it. Today was a great day!" He smiled widely. "I don't know how I'll sleep tonight!"

Arthur smiled. "I'm glad that you had a great birthday," he told his son. He kissed his forehead. "I hope tomorrow is just as great of a day. Remember, Blair is going to come over and play with you."

Leon yawned, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Yeah, I know," he softly said. "I can't wait! It's going to be so fun!" He yawned again.

"Perhaps you should rest now," Arthur suggested, laughing. He smiled and pulled the blanket up to Leon's chin. "You had a big day, and you'll have a big one tomorrow as well. You'll need a lot of rest, Leon."

The small boy yawned and held Arthur's hand. "I'll say the prayer tonight," he offered. He closed his eyes. "Dear God, thank you for the best day ever! I'm so happy that I got to spend it with Daddy! Thank you for the letters from Alfred, Victoria, and Captain Williams! They really made me happy, but I'm pretty sure you already know that! Please let tomorrow be just as good, if not better! In Jesus's name, amen!"

"Amen," Arthur quietly agreed.

Leon's eyes barely fluttered open. "Goodnight, Daddy. Sweet dreams."

Arthur smiled at him. "Sweet dreams, Leon." He turned out the light and kissed Leon's forehead before leaving the room.

Leon was right. It was one of the best days the two of the had had since Alfred left. If only Arthur had a way of talking to Alfred to let him know how special the day had been because of the letters. Instead, he had to wait until Alfred came back to tell him. Oh, how he couldn't wait until that day came!


	13. Chapter 13

Arthur whistled the next day as he walked to pick up Leon from school. He was in a cheery mood, and he hoped Allistor wouldn't be an ass and say cruel things. In all honesty, he was looking forward to seeing his brother, as long as he behaved himself. He wanted to hear how his other brothers and his parents were doing. Though he wasn't part of that family anymore, he couldn't help but worry about them.

He leaned against his usual lamppost and was surprised to find Allistor walking up to him. His eyebrows raised in surprise as Allistor leaned against the other side of the lamppost with him. He wanted to ask what caused him to do this, but Allistor spoke first.

"So it's been awhile since you've heard from everyone, hasn't it?" Allistor asked. "About seven years now, huh?" He sighed and put a cigarette in his mouth before lighting it. "Peter still doesn't understand the entirety of it. Blair let it slip to him a few weeks ago that she saw you now knows that you have a son who is half his age. But he just doesn't get why you don't come around. I told Mum and Dad that Mei isn't here anymore…" He sighed and took a puff from the cigarette. "They might be ready to forgive you."

Arthur sighed. "I think I'll be okay without them, but thanks anyway." Knowing that Mei was dead made his parents want to suddenly forgive him? That wasn't okay with him. "Do they know about Leon?"

Allistor sighed. "Not exactly." He took a deep drag of the cigarette. "How do you think they would react to knowing you and Mei have a son?"

"They would think he's disgusting," Arthur bitterly stated, frowning. He held out a hand. "Give me a puff of that."

Allistor handed the cigarette to Arthur. "I didn't know you still smoked, Arthur."

Arthur took a drag and let the smoke come out of his mouth in a small puff. "I gave it up when Mei found out she was pregnant with Leon," he admitted. "She always hated that habit of mine anyway. This is my first cigarette in a little over six years."

"Cheers to that," Allistor said, taking it from Arthur's fingers and taking a puff. "Mary could never get me to stop, no matter how hard she tried. She tells me I don't know what I'm doing to my lungs and that with every cigarette I smoke I'm one step closer to my death. Does she think I'm stupid? Of course I know that. I tell her that her nagging could get me there faster."

"A love is someone you should always treasure," Arthur softly said. "Don't take their nagging for granted, because one day they might not be around anymore." He thought of Alfred and Mei. Oh, how he missed both of them terribly. "And you'll miss that nagging more than you ever imagined you could."

"You're still just as depressing as ever," Allistor said with a chuckle. "You know, Arthur, you were always the one who took life so seriously while the rest of us all just wanted to have fun. You're the one who fell in love and got married at the youngest age out of all of us."

"Did Dylan ever get married?" Arthur asked, turning to looked at Allistor. Dylan was the brother that Arthur always got along with. He was also the one who still had yet to fall in love by the time Arthur was disowned.

"He met a nice girl about three years ago," Allistor said with a nod. "They just had their second child. Their oldest is a boy named Thomas and their daughter's name is Allison." He smiled at Arthur. "He's jealous that Thomas isn't in school because he wants to see Leon."

"He is welcome to see Leon whenever he wishes," Arthur told Allistor. "We're family, Allistor. It's not like where I live and where my son attends school is that big of a secret." He sighed. "I mean, I know you all probably stay away because of Mum and Dad, but I wouldn't mind company once in awhile."

"We're all adults, Arthur," Allistor said. "We have lives as well." He looked around. "So where's that one soldier friend of yours? I haven't seen him around here lately."

Arthur frowned. "He was assigned to a base in France," he quietly said. "Leon was so upset. It destroyed him."

"It looks to me like it destroyed you as well," Allistor said, passing over the rest of the cigarette.

Arthur thankfully took it, taking a deep, long drag of it. "My son's unhappiness tends to rub off on me," he said, exhaling a large cloud of smoke. He sighed. "Private Jones and I had become good friends. He was almost like a part of the family."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Allistor said with a frown. "He seemed like a nice guy." He stood there for a moment and watched Arthur finish off the cigarette and then crush it under his shoe. "So what part of the military was he in?"

"He was just a normal soldier," Arthur answered blankly. "But nothing about that man was normal. He was always very creative and was good at keeping Leon entertained. His ideas were so original, Allistor. I had never heard anything like them."

Allistor nodded with a thoughtful look on his face. "That's good," he said. "I'm glad that you made a friend like him. Here's hoping he comes back safely."

Arthur looked down at his shoes as he frowned. "Yeah…"

Leon came running out of the gates moments later, Blair hot on his heels. "Hey, Daddy!" he greeted. "Good afternoon, Uncle Allistor!"

"Good afternoon, Leon," Allistor greeted with a grin. He looked closely at the boy. "He really does look like Mei, Arthur. Almost exactly like what she would look like if she were a little boy."

Leon looked confused. "Mei?"

"He's talking about Mummy, love," Arthur answered. "You look like her. Uncle Allistor knew your mummy." He smiled at Blair. "And you look like your father," he told her, "but you have your mother's eyes."

Blair smiled happily. "Thank you, Uncle Arthur. Uncle Peter is jealous that I get to see you and he doesn't."

Allistor placed a hand on top of her head. "Blair, don't say things like that," he scolded. "We talked about this on the way home yesterday."

"Sorry, Daddy," Blair apologized almost automatically. It seemed to Arthur like she was so accustomed to apologizing for things that it was almost as if she wasn't even certain what she was apologizing for anymore.

Arthur smiled. "It's all right, Blair. My feelings aren't hurt." He took a step forward, revealing the crushed cigarette that was under his shoe.

"Daddy, did you smoke that?" Leon asked, pointing to it. His expression looked confused once more. He looked at the cigarette. "Is that a cigarette? Where did you get it?"

"Don't worry about it, Leon," Arthur sighed, guiding him away from the lamppost. "Let's just all go to the flat, okay?" He nodded for Allistor to follow after. "Don't you want to go and play with Blair?"

Leon smiled and broke free from Arthur's grasp, ducking under his father's arm to get to Blair. "We're going to have a lot of fun!" he told her, falling into step beside her. "If Alfred were still here, he would take us on an adventure, but he's in France. Maybe when he get s back you can come over and he'll take us then!"

Arthur tuned out Leon the moment Alfred's name was mentioned. The subject of Alfred was too painful for him at that moment. Though he could hear Alfred's name coming out of Leon's mouth still as he told Blair of his birthday and of all of his favorite memories with that wonderful American. Arthur began to think of his favorite memories with Alfred.

He thought of the night Alfred had kissed him for the first time, or the night Alfred had told him that he loved him for the first time. Those memories were the ones that Arthur held the dearest, even more than the nights when their bodies had become one. Arthur was hoping that more memories with Alfred would await him in the future, memories like watching Leon graduate school together or growing old together. He wanted that more than anything in the world, to grow old with Alfred. He knew he would never love another.

.

Allistor looked around the living room once he got the tour of Arthur and Leon's flat. "This is a nice flat you have here," he complimented. "It's just the right size for the two of you."

"Yeah," Arthur sighed out. "I just wish that Leon had a motherly figure to share it with as well."

"I bet with that Alfred guy around it seemed a lot busier," Allistor said. "Leon really seems to look up to him."

Arthur nodded. "He does. He even gave Alfred his favorite ball to make sure that Alfred came back. So now Leon's favorite ball is somewhere in France with Alfred."

Allistor laughed. "Don't you love the innocence of the way a child's mind works?" he sighed out, smiling. "They truly don't know how hateful and cruel of a place this world really is yet. I bet Leon doesn't even understand why he doesn't know any other Kirklands but me and Blair and you." He sighed, smile fading. "It's not fair to him what Mum and Dad are doing. I'm going to talk to them about it. Leon's a good kid, and he deserves to know them if he wants to."

"You don't have to," Arthur told him. "He's been fine without them, and I wouldn't want them treating him any different from Blair or Thomas or Allison."

Allistor blinked in surprise. "You always had a good memory," he said. "But it's something I want to do. I want to talk to Mum and Dad about Leon. He's a good kid and doesn't deserve to not know them. He deserves a chance, especially since he seems to have your personality. Mum and Dad always adored that spirit of yours."

Arthur scoffed. "It was you that they always preferred," he insisted. "You were always the favorite."

"That's a load of bullshit if I ever heard such a thing!" Allistor laughed out. "Me, the favorite? Oh, no, Arthur. That was you! Mum and Dad would do anything for you!"

"Then why was I kicked out of the family for falling in love?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow.

Allistor's laughter calmed as he fell silent. "You have a point. I'm sorry, Arthur."

"It's fine," Arthur sighed. "How is Seamus doing?"

Allistor thought for a moment. "He's incredibly stressed out. A closet alcoholic. I don't blame him, though. He has about five kids now. Two sets of twins, Arthur. It's crazy." He sighed. "Mary and I only have Blair, Siobhan, and William."

"You have three children?" Arthur asked. He smiled. "I think I can only handle Leon by myself. He's a fantastic kid, but sometimes he can be a little much. Since it's only me, I think it's best that it's only him." His smile widened as Leon and Blair walked in with their backpacks. "Hey, what are you two doing?"

"Well I told Blair that I always do my homework first when I come home," Leon told him. "She said that's what she does, too. So since neither of us have much homework, we decided to do our homework together before we play." He smiled sheepishly. "I hope that's okay."

Arthur smiled at Leon. "If you're sure that's what you two would like to do, then go on ahead. But you don't have to. Since she's here to play, that's exactly what you're allowed to do."

Leon's eyes lit up. "You mean I can do my homework later?" he excitedly asked.

"Only for today," Arthur told him.

The small boy ran over and hugged him. "Thank you, Daddy! You're the best!"

Arthur chuckled to himself as the kids ran from the room to play. "Like I was saying, he's a good kid."

Allistor chuckled as well. "You really raised him well. I'm proud of you, Arthur. He really does seem like a great kid. You're almost as great of a father as I am."

Arthur laughed sarcastically. "I'm a great father," he said. He went quiet for a moment. "I mean to say, I recently became one about three months ago."

"What do you mean?" Allistor asked as he sat on the couch.

Arthur sat on an armchair. "I used to have a very bad drinking problem. I would go to the pub next door and drink until I could barely see straight. You're right when you say that Leon looks just like Mei. That's why I did it, so I didn't have to see her when I came home." He clasped his hands firmly in his lap and looked down at them. "I know it's a bad thing to do, but I couldn't help it. It was Private Jones who helped me sober up and realize that Leon is so much more important to me than anything I could ever imagine."

"That is something I could never imagine you doing," Allistor admitted. "I would never imagine you being the alcoholic out of all of us." He shook his head in bewilderment. "That's a shock to me, I'll admit. How would I know if this is true?"

"You can ask the pub owner next door," Arthur softly said. "He knew me by name by the time Leon was a month old. The thing was, I knew that what I was doing was unfair to Leon, but I didn't care until Alfred made me care."

"So Alfred means more to your family that you and Leon previously let on," Allistor mused. "He brought you two together." He smiled. "I hope that one day I'll have the honor of properly meeting the man who helped my little brother get his shit back together."

Arthur sighed. "Why did you have to put it like that?"

"Because it's the truth," Allistor answered. "And that's what you need to hear. Mum and Dad sugarcoated everything for all of us, but the truth is something hard to hear at times. I don't sugarcoat anything because of them. I tell my kids and wife how it is."

"You've always been like that, you know," Arthur told him. "How are they doing anyway? Mum and Dad, I mean."

"Dad is just steadily going downhill, like we all used to say he would," Allistor sighed. "Mum hasn't been the same since Dad made us all disown you. She still has a picture of you from years ago that she sometimes pulls out of hiding and cries over. When I told her that your son goes to school with Blair, she immediately asked if I saw you and how you're doing. Since I didn't know how you were doing, I just told her you only look a little older and slightly more tired." He frowned. "It made me a little angry that she ignored the fact that I even mentioned Leon. He's a beautiful child."

"He doesn't think he is because of people like Mum and Dad," Arthur bitterly stated. "Leon thinks he's a disgusting child and begs me to try to find a way to make him white. I just want him to accept the fact that he's half-Chinese, and that there's no changing that. He's a beautiful boy. I just wish he knew how amazing he truly is."

Allistor nodded his agreement. "One time when I come over, I'll bring pictures to show you everyone. That is, if you'll allow me in your house again," he laughed.

"We're brothers, Allistor," Arthur stated. "Of course you'll be welcome here. Family is always welcome."

.

Leon yawned tiredly as Arthur tucked him in that night. "Daddy, thank you for letting Blair and Uncle Allistor come over," he quietly said. "I had so much fun!"

"I'm glad that you did," Arthur told him. "You know what? I had fun, too. We should have them over again sometime."

"Yeah!" Leon agreed, eyes widening in excitement. "That would be so fun! I'm so happy that my cousin is my best friend! She's really nice and fun! I have so much fun with her!"

Arthur smiled. "It's always great to have a best friend, isn't it?"

Leon smiled. "I just wish yours was still here."

"Mine?" Arthur asked, confused.

"Alfred, Daddy!" Leon giggled. "He's your best friend, isn't he?"

Arthur thought for a moment and smiled. "I guess you could say that, now couldn't you?"

Leon giggled. "You're so silly, Daddy!" He leaned back against his pillows and yawned again. "Prayer time, Daddy! It's your turn to say it!"

Arthur smiled and folded his hands. "Ready?" he asked as he saw Leon copy him. He closed his eyes after watching Leon nod. "Dear God, Thank you for a wonderful day with Allistor and Blair. Thank you that we all had fun together. Please let us have another wonderful day tomorrow. Amen."

Leon smiled. "You're getting better at prayers," he told Arthur. He yawned as Arthur pulled up the blanket. "Goodnight, Daddy. I love you."

Arthur kissed his son's forehead. "Goodnight, Leon. I love you too." He smiled and turned out the light as he left the room. He was certain his son would sleep well that night. After all, he had spent the day with family for the first time. Who wouldn't sleep well after that?


	14. Chapter 14

Early December, 1942, London

Arthur shrugged his coat on. It was too cold for Leon to be walking to and from school, but he knew they would have to since he didn't own a car. He would be able to manage just fine, but he made sure to grab a blanket for Leon to wrap himself in on the walk home.

He sighed as he passed the mailbox. He had stopped checking it two months before. The last letter he had received from Alfred was the one he got on Leon's birthday. It destroyed him that Alfred wasn't writing. Was something wrong? Did something happen to him? Surely he would have found out, right?

Arthur found himself listening in to as much war gossip as he could when Leon wasn't around. He listened to the radio during his break at work or chatted with his customers about it. He found that many of their men had died and it made him sick. What if Alfred had been one of them? What if that was why Alfred hadn't written to him?

Arthur sighed and kept walking down that busy London street. He had to stop thinking about Alfred, because he figured Alfred wasn't thinking about him. He needed to stop depressing himself with thoughts of a man who probably wasn't thinking about him at all. It depressed him to think about the fact that Alfred had promised to write, and then he never did.

He sighed as he shivered a little when a gust of wind hit him from an alley. His coat was a bit thinner than he would have liked, but all he truly cared about was Leon being warm. His own warmth didn't matter to him. Nothing but Leon mattered to him anymore. He even tried to convince himself that Alfred didn't matter to him either. Why should he matter if he never wrote to him?

Arthur kicked a pebble near his foot and sent it skittering across the road. He was sick and tired of waiting for a letter that was never going to come. He was tired of waiting for a soldier who was never going to return to him. His heart was broken and couldn't take anymore pain. It was too much. He was done waiting. If Alfred didn't come back when the war ended, he was done with love forever. He knew that he would never love anyone else besides Alfred.

A slight flurry of snowflakes fell from the sky as Arthur leaned against the lamppost and waited for Leon to get out of school. Every day it was the same monotonous routine. Only one thing had changed. Ever since he had smoked that cigarette with Allistor, Arthur had developed a slight smoking habit once more that he knew Mei was cursing him in Heaven for. He was to the point where he smoked a cigarette after dropping Leon off from school, one during his break at work, one while waiting for Leon to get out of school, and then one last one just before bed. And he was an expert at hiding his habit from Leon, knowing that his son hated that Allistor did it and would be even more disappointed if he knew his own father smoked as well.

Arthur put a cigarette between his lips and lit it as he waited for school to get out. His own breath mingled in puffs of smoke along with the smoke from the cigarette. It almost amused him, if only he weren't so down at the moment. At least the cigarette helped out a little. Arthur took a deep drag of the cigarette, concentrating on letting the smoke fill the hollow ache inside of him.

Leon came out of the school just as Arthur finished crushing the cigarette under his boot. "Daddy, it's so cold!" he greeted, shivering.

Arthur draped the warm blanket around his shoulders. "Here you are, love," he said. "I brought it from home because I knew how cold it would be. Let's hurry home, all right? I'm sure you had a busy day at school, right?"

Leon nodded eagerly. "The busiest! It's almost Christmas, Daddy! Santa will be here soon to give presents to all of the good children! Have I been good?"

Arthur smiled as they began to walk back in the direction of their flat. "You have been wonderful, Leon. Santa personally contacted me and said he has wonderful things in store for you."

"He did?!" Leon excitedly asked, eyes wide. "That's so neat!" He grinned widely. "Did he tell you what he's giving me?!"

"He did," Arthur said with a smile. "But he told me not to tell you." He chuckled at Leon's sudden lack of enthusiasm. "Cheer up, buddy. You'll find out soon enough. Besides, surprises are always the best."

The small boy thought it over. "I guess you're right, Daddy," he decided, smiling. "After all, you're never wrong."

Arthur laughed. "Oh, trust me. I have been wrong before." His mind went to Alfred. Was he wrong for believing that Alfred would come back to him? Had he just read all of it wrong? Did Alfred even want to return to him?

"In what ways have you been wrong, Daddy?" Leon asked, looking up at him. He blinked a few times as his expectant gaze remained on his father. "I never remember you being wrong about anything at all."

Arthur smiled at him. "It's kind of you to believe in me. But I am afraid there come times when even I am wrong about things, Leon."

Leon shook his head vigorously. "No, Daddy! I don't believe that! You can't be wrong about anything! You can't! If you don't know anything, then who does?" His panicked expression nearly broke Arthur's heart.

Arthur did something he hadn't done in a very long time. He picked Leon up and began to carry him home. He noticed that his son was shivering despite the blanket, and seeing Leon so panicked at the fact that he could be wrong about things made Arthur just want to hold Leon until he could assure him that everything would be okay.

"It's okay for me to be wrong, Leon," Arthur told his shivering son as he held him close and wrapped the blanket tighter around him. "Everyone has to be wrong sometimes. That's the world we live in." He cradled Leon's head into his chest like he once did when Leon cried at night as a baby. Now he was doing it to shield him from the cold.

"What were you wrong about recently?" Leon asked him, gulping. "Was it Alfred?"

Arthur sighed. "It was. I was wrong when I said he would write to us. But he was wrong as well. Maybe something came up."

"Do you think he's okay, Daddy?" Leon softly asked, asking aloud the question that Arthur asked his heart every night.

Arthur sighed. "I don't know, love," he answered honestly. "Victoria hasn't said anything either. It's really hard to say. She hasn't mentioned him or Matthew in any of her letters since August." He frowned. "But we should keep praying for him and hoping that he's okay unless we hear otherwise." His heart ached as he said those words. He didn't want to hear otherwise. He just wanted Alfred to come back already. It hurt too much to be apart from him.

"I like that idea," Leon said, nodding. "I want to believe Alfred is okay. He has to be. He still has my ball that he has to bring back to me."

Arthur chuckled to himself. "That's right, Leon. He still has to bring your ball back to you, doesn't he?" He thought to himself how innocent Leon's mind must be that Alfred couldn't die in battle yet because he has to bring the ball back. "I forgot about that silly ball."

"It's not silly, Daddy," Leon said. "It's my favorite ball, and he's my favorite soldier. That way, if they're two of my favorite things in the whole world, they have to make it, right?"

Arthur felt at a loss for words. "Right," he softly said, holding Leon even closer to him, trying to make the ache in his chest go away. Why did Leon's words make his heart hurt so badly? "That's a good way of looking at it, Leon. Let's hope the world will be fair and let it work out that way."

Leon nodded and clung to Arthur for warmth. "Daddy, why is it so cold?"

"I wish it were warmer too, Leon," Arthur sighed. He began to walk faster so he could get his son to warmth faster. "But we're almost home. I have the house all warm for you."

Leon smiled. "Thank you, Daddy."

.

A few days later, Arthur sat in an armchair and read the paper while Leon did his homework. He was feeling on edge as he drank his tea. He had even mixed the slightest bit of rum into it, not having drank alcohol in months. It felt weird going down his throat, but it felt amazing at the same time. His eyes kept glancing over at Leon as the boy worked diligently on his homework.

"Daddy, why don't we ever listen to the radio?" Leon asked, pointing to it. "Maybe a little bit of music could help cheer the mood."

Arthur thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps," he decided. "Go ahead and turn it on."

Leon grinned and jumped up to turn on the music. He fiddled with the knob for a moment before the music turned on. "This song is pretty!" he said.

"Making believe is just another way of dreaming," a familiar female voice sang from the speakers.

"Turn it off," Arthur quickly said, head snapping up at the sound of Ella Fitzgerald's singing voice. "Leon, now!" He couldn't listen to this song! He couldn't! It reminded him too much of Alfred!

Leon fumbled with the knob, trying to turn it off as Arthur stood and rushed to the radio. Before either knew what was going on, the radio was lying on the floor, broken, as Arthur and Leon stared down at it.

Tears spilled from Arthur's eyes as Leon began to cry from fright. "I'm sorry," he softly said, shaking his head. "I didn't mean it, Leon…"

"Daddy, it was just a song…" Leon slowly said. "I don't know what happened to make you hate it so much…" He scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeve and ran down the hall to his room.

Arthur didn't even try to run after him. This was his own fault. He looked down at the radio as his vision blurred with tears. Mei's radio was now smashed to pieces all because he couldn't handle hearing a song that reminded him of Alfred...He felt like a terrible person as he sank against the wall and began quietly sobbing. Everything felt like it was falling apart. He just wanted Alfred to come back and hold him and piece him back together.

He didn't even know how much time passed before he felt a small hand grab his and hold it tightly. "Daddy," he heard Leon's voice say. "I'm sorry for running in the house. I didn't mean to make you cry…"

Arthur brought his head up and looked at Leon, who was offering him tissues, which he gratefully accepted. "Thank you," he softly said. "And you didn't do it. It's just that that song makes me think of someone who I hold dear to me. I can't bear to hear it, Leon. But it wasn't right of me to smash Mummy's radio like that."

Leon sat next to Arthur and leaned on him. "We can get a new one, Daddy. I think we should go to bed early tonight. It's been a long day." He yawned as his eyes began to blink slower, his eyelids becoming heavier with each blink.

Arthur then noticed that Leon was wearing his pajamas already. He pulled his son into his lap and picked him up as he stood. "Let's get you to bed, buddy," he softly said, carrying the small boy to his room. He tucked Leon into bed, the boy already fast asleep. His lips kissed his son's forehead. "I love you so much. And I'm sorry for scaring you. You don't deserve that. Let's have a better day tomorrow, Leon." He then left his son's room to pick up the pieces of the shattered radio.

.

That night as Arthur laid in bed, the song played over and over in his head. He couldn't get Ella Fitzgerald's voice out of his head, or Alfred's appreciation of it either. He didn't know what to do as the tears just rolled down his cheeks all night. Nothing could stop him from crying. His heart felt broken and he knew nothing but Alfred could ever fix it.

"Please come back to me," he whispered to an imaginary Alfred. "Please come back. I can't take it without you. You brought back my purpose in life. You reminded me what I'm living for. Alfred, you need to return to me. Please come back…"

He knew Alfred would never hear his pleas, though. He doubted Alfred even cared. What if what Alfred did for him, Alfred falling in love with him, was all just a trick? What if Alfred had no intention of ever coming back to him? What if Alfred only wanted to sleep with Arthur before leaving for war just to say he slept with someone? Arthur didn't want to think like that about Alfred, but what if that really was how he was?

Arthur rolled over in his bed and huffed out. Fine. He didn't need Alfred anyway. But even as he tried to tell himself that, he knew it wasn't true. He couldn't stand life without that bloody American. He needed him badly. It was almost as if Arthur couldn't function properly without seeing Alfred or reading his letters that he used to send. It frustrated him knowing that Alfred was probably doing just fine without him.

Arthur felt an almost stabbing pain in his chest. Was Alfred really doing all right? Or was he just telling himself that? What if Alfred was lying in bed just like this every night wondering the same about Arthur? What if that was why Alfred hadn't written, because he figured Arthur didn't care? It made Arthur almost sick to his stomach. He wished he had a way of contacting Alfred. All he wanted to do was let Alfred know he was waiting for him, and wanted to know if Alfred was waiting for him…

.

Mid-March, 1943, London

Arthur heard a knock at the door and looked up from the book he was reading to Leon in the living room. "I wonder who that could be," he thought aloud. Being the weekend and not having planned for visitors, he and Leon were still in their pajamas. He quickly went to his room and got his robe as the knocking continued. "Coming!" he called to the door as he entered the front room. He nearly fainted when he opened the door.

"Wouldn't mind a visitor or two, eh?" Matthew asked him, standing at the door in a normal soldier's uniform. He had a hand on Alfred's shoulder as the American looked about ready to pass out. "I can entertain Leon while you two catch up."

Arthur couldn't find the words to say. He simply moved aside to let them in. He didn't even know what else to do. His voice seemed lost into an abyss along with anything he had ever thought about Alfred not coming back to him.

Alfred stood there for a moment. "Look, I can explain," he began. "A lot has been going on. Mattie got demoted and-"

"Shut up and fucking kiss me," Arthur growled at him, grabbing Alfred by his collar and kissing him with everything he had been feeling for the past year. The kiss felt so right, so perfect to him that he moaned out softly against Alfred's lips as he heard Alfred do the same.

"I knew it!" Leon shouted, coming into the room. "Daddy, I knew you were in love with Alfred!" He jumped up and down excitedly, pointing at Alfred and Arthur and giggling happily. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! Look, Captain Williams!"

"It's Private Williams now, kiddo," Matthew corrected, walking over to Leon. He smiled down at the boy. "Let's give them a moment, eh? How about you tell me all about school? And I want to hear just how great that sixth birthday of yours was," he said, leading the boy into the living room.

Arthur snaked his arms around Alfred's neck as he kissed him, opening his mouth to give Alfred access. He moaned out when he felt Alfred's tongue exploring his mouth for the first time in almost a year. He had never met a more perfect man than Alfred F. Jones.

"I told you I'd come back," Alfred told Arthur when they broke apart for air. He had his hands placed firmly on Arthur's hips. "I love you, Arthur Kirkland. You're all I've ever thought about for the past ten months."

"You stopped writing," Arthur softly said, tears in his eyes. He couldn't think of anything else to say, yet he didn't mean it to sound as accusatory as it had come out. But once he had started, he couldn't stop. "I was so worried that something had happened to you and then you showed up here with no warning at all and just expect to sweep me off my feet. I thought you were dead! I thought something terrible had happened to you!"

Alfred hung his head. "Arthur, I'm sorry," he softly said. "I was wrong not to write to you, but it was so hard. I know that I'm not the only one who will hear this lecture from a loved one. Mattie's probably going to hear it worse than I will, and probably not even in English for half of it." He frowned. "And I know sorry will never be a good enough excuse for not writing to you, but hear me out. You have no idea how hard it is to be in training with all of those people and to write letters but never be able to get even one in return. Arthur, it's worse than getting a 'Dear John' letter!"

"A 'Dear John' letter?" Arthur asked, raising a thick eyebrow.

Alfred sighed. "Right, you don't know what those are. Those are letters that soldiers get from their girlfriends back home saying that the girls don't want to be with them anymore or that they found someone else. Arthur, I saw two men kill themselves over letters like that. It was awful. And then I had to help Mattie out. He's still not doing good at all, but I told him that maybe being around Leon would help make him happy, and I think it's working."

"Not doing well?" Arthur asked. "What's wrong with him? Is he sick?"

Alfred shook his head. "He has a lot of trouble getting out of bed, and I don't trust him alone," he softly said, aware of how loud his voice was. "I especially don't trust him alone with guns. Not that I think he would kill himself, but it just scares me."

Arthur frowned. "What happened to him? He seemed so happy when I met him."

"Irunya happened," Alfred answered. "She is a girl he fell in love with when he was transferred to Russia. I guess he lost his virginity to her on his last night there, and she's been on his mind every moment of every day since. Arthur, that's been about a year. Is that unhealthy?"

"I don't think so," Arthur answered. "Alfred, isn't this the first time he ever fell in love? This is normal. And I bet this Irunya girl is worth him being this lovesick over. Especially if he is as oblivious to love as you say and finally fell in love."

"He's as crazy about her as I am about you," Alfred confirmed, smiling. He pulled Arthur closer by his waist. "I love you, Arthur." His lips met Arthur's once more. "Now I think I should go talk to Leon. I have something for him anyway."

"You do?" Arthur asked.

Alfred took off his boots and then pulled a small ball out of his pocket. "Do you think I'd want your son to hate me?" he asked with a smile. "I made sure nothing happened to it, and it's back safe and sound."

"You truly are a hero, aren't you?" Arthur asked, smiling.

"Only if I'm one to you and Leon," Alfred answered, smiling.


	15. Chapter 15

Late March, 1943, London

Alfred sighed as he sat down on the couch next to Leon. "How's homework coming along, buddy? It won't do itself, you know." He smiled as he looked over Leon's shoulder at the work. "Ew, you're doing math."

"I like math," Leon quietly said. "It's easy, and Daddy says it's the same in every country. That means if I ever go to America or Canada or anywhere else, I'll know how to do math there."

"Well you got me there, kiddo," Alfred said, grinning. He examined the problem. "You're so smart, Leon. When I was six, I was never able to solve problems like these. Are you in a special math class?"

Leon shook his head and moved to sit on Alfred's knee. "No, I just know what I'm doing is all. A lot of kids in my class ask me for help sometimes. It makes me happy to know that they do that." He smiled up at Alfred. "I'm one of the smartest kids in my class."

"Of course you are," Alfred said, smiling back at the boy, "you're Arthur's son. Your dad is very smart, so there's no doubt that you would be too." He ruffled Leon's hair. "He's very proud of you, too."

Leon giggled. "Of me?" he asked through his giggles. "It's just math homework."

"But you're so smart, Leon," Alfred said, smiling. "We're both very proud of you for being smart." He tickled Leon a little, causing the little boy to burst into a fit of giggles, before insisting that he do his homework or they would both get into trouble.

"Hey, Alfred, I have one more question," Leon said, looking up from his homework. "Cap-Ah, I mean Private Williams, is he sad?"

Alfred didn't know what to say to that, so he decided to be honest. "He's very sad," he told Leon. "He misses someone really bad, but he'll see her again soon."

"Is she his girlfriend?" Leon asked, smiling as he turned back to his homework.

"Something like that," Alfred said, smiling to himself. He thought about Matthew and how his brother used to be so lovestruck over that Ukrainian woman, and now how he just moped around like a widower. He wondered if that was how Arthur was after Leon's mother died.

Arthur walked into the room. "How is homework going, Leon?" he asked, perching himself next to Alfred with a cup of tea. He took a sip, crossing his legs at the knee and looking over at the American. "What are you so troubled over?"

"Nothing," Alfred said, shaking his head and looking over at Arthur. He flashed him a carefree grin. "I was just thinking about my time in France, and how I'm so glad to be back here."

"You're lucky you haven't been discharged from the military," Arthur scoffed into his tea, taking another sip.

"Eh, I'm on my way there," Alfred sighed, looking up at the ceiling and blowing his bangs out of his eyes. "I was shocked that Mattie wasn't, to be honest. He was everything but, though…" He closed his eyes. "That must have been humiliating for him to be stripped from captain status in front of everyone like that."

"What did he lose it for again?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alfred gave Arthur a conflicted look, nodding to Leon, who was doing his homework. His eyes said, "I'll tell you later." Arthur dropped it at that with a simple nod. He knew that it was obviously something bad, but he didn't figure it was something that bad. Then again, Arthur didn't know Matthew as well as he knew Alfred, so he didn't know what sort of behavior was typical of him.

Leon looked up at Arthur, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Daddy, my hair is getting long again."

"We'll have to get it cut, won't we?" Arthur asked, smiling. He took another sip of tea and sighed. "Your hair grows faster than my own, son. You get twice the amount of haircuts that I get."

Alfred smiled over at Arthur and messed up his hair, the British man glaring at him. "Your hair is just too much of a mess to tell how long it is half the time," he teased.

"And whose fault is that?" Arthur indignantly demanded, causing Leon to giggle from the coffee table.

He was still uncomfortable with the fact that Leon saw them kiss when Alfred came back and had scolded Leon harshly and demanded that he never told another soul what he saw except for those present, to which Leon tearfully nodded. Then he had hugged the little boy and told him he was sorry for scaring him, but told him that he and Alfred could get into a lot of trouble if he told anyone. Arthur wanted Leon to be able to be happy with him and Alfred as both of his parents, but he knew that would neither be accepted nor allowed. But behind closed doors, Arthur didn't mind Alfred being fatherly to Leon because he knew his little boy needed the extra love of another parent. But either way, Arthur was determined not to let Leon catch them kissing again.

"Definitely not mine," Alfred innocently said, smiling widely. "I never do anything wrong, remember? I'm just so perfect."

"And who the bloody hell told you that?" Arthur grumbled over his teacup, giving Alfred a cross look. "You are delusional. What has war done to you, love?"

Alfred laughed loudly. "Say what you want, but you know I'm right," he said. He smiled at Leon. "You almost done with homework, buddy? Once you're done we can have more fun."

"Yeah, almost," Leon quietly answered, focusing hard on one of his math problems.

"Make sure you let one of us check your answers when you finish," Arthur said, leaning back against the couch and closing his eyes.

He felt that his life was perfect again. Ever since Alfred came back to England, everything started falling back into place. Things were even starting to go well for Matthew, who was looking into a transfer back to the small Russian town where he used to be stationed. Arthur felt that he couldn't be any happier. Leon's mood had greatly improved now that Alfred was back as well. He was so much happier as well.

"I will, Daddy," Leon said, sticking his tongue out slightly as he concentrated. "I only have a couple more problems left. So I'll be done in a couple minutes."

"That's a smart boy you've got there, Mr. Kirkland," Alfred said with a wink. "You must be one proud father."

"More proud than anyone will ever know," Arthur confirmed with a nod. He smiled over at Alfred. "But who wouldn't be proud of a boy like Leon? He's so brave all the time, and so smart to go with it. He amazes me and teaches even me new things all the time."

Alfred grinned. "That's what I like to hear," he said. After making sure Leon wasn't looking, he reached over and squeezed Arthur's thigh slightly before placing his hand back on his own leg. "It takes a lot of courage to be a boy like Leon. He is very strong."

"How am I strong and brave?" Leon asked. "All I do is go to school."

"It takes a lot of strength and courage to be different," Arthur told him. "And you do it with no problems at all. You are much stronger and braver than I was at your age."

"Me too," Alfred chimed in. "When I was your age, I didn't even sleep in my own bed. I slept in Matthew's bed with him because I was scared of the dark."

Leon giggled. "No you didn't. You're just saying that."

"How about you ask him next time he comes over?" Alfred asked. "He'll tell you himself. He would get so mad at me because I would hog the blankets."

"That sounds like something you would do," Arthur mused, nodding, which earned him a sneer from Alfred. He smiled at Alfred over his teacup. "I'm just saying, you seem like you would be the type to take all of the blankets when sharing a bed with someone." He laughed a little when Alfred sulked playfully. "What? Did I hurt your pride?"

"Maybe a little," Alfred grumbled, looking over at him. He had his lower lip hanging out in a pout.

Arthur poked his lower lip. "Don't stick it out too far," he cautioned. "You might trip over it when walking, love."

Leon laughed from the coffee table. "Daddy, you're so mean," he said through his laughter.

"Well he's the one who brought it up. I was only agreeing with him," Arthur said. "So I don't see how I could possibly be the bad guy here."

"Face it, Arthur," Alfred said with an innocent smile. "You're always the bad guy."

Arthur groaned. "Fine, I'll be the bad guy."

"Done!" Leon exclaimed, raising the paper in the air. He giggled excitedly. "Who wants to check my answers?"

"Let the bad guy check them," Arthur teased. "I'll make sure I'll mark all of them wrong so you'll have to do them again."

"No," Leon giggled, handing the page to Alfred.

The American smiled. "I'll look over these right now," he said, adjusting his glasses so he could see the page better. "Maybe Daddy can start dinner while I do this."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Arthur stated, yet he knew Alfred was right. He knew he was hungry and poor Leon was probably starving. "But yeah, I'll get right on that…" He messed up Alfred's hair before going to the kitchen to cook.

"Alfred, I know I'm not supposed to ask about this, but do you love my daddy?" Leon quietly asked so his voice wouldn't carry down the hall after Arthur.

Alfred dropped the homework page in shock and then scrambled to pick it back up. "Uh, why would you ask something like that, Leon?" he stammered. "What would make you ask that?"

"It's just that I saw you two kiss on the day you came back," Leon quietly said. "And when I saw it, I knew you two were in love just by the way you two were holding each other. I have never seen Daddy talk to or laugh with anyone the way I see him do those things with you. I know my daddy loves you."

Alfred sighed. "You got me there, kiddo." He bit his lip for a moment, wondering what to say. "If I tell you anything, you can never tell another person ever. It has to stay a secret between us. Do you promise?"

"I promise," Leon said with a nod, looking up at Alfred.

"The answer is yes," he answered. "I love him so much. He's all I thought about when I was gone. Well, that's actually a lie. I thought about you too. But all I could think about was how badly I wanted to come back here and be a part of your family. I feel like I belong with the two of you. We all work well together, don't you think?"

Leon grinned up at him. "I think so," he said, nodding. "I want you to be my second daddy. And I think Daddy wants the same thing."

Alfred smiled at Leon. "I think you're right, Leon," he said, going back to looking over the answers. "Just like how you are on all of these answers. See? I knew you were a smart kid."

.

That night, Arthur sat in silence on the couch with Alfred. But it was a comfortable silence. No words needed to be said between the two. They were completely content with it. Arthur was reading, and Alfred was sitting and thinking, sneaking peeks at Arthur's book every now and then.

"Alfred," Arthur softly said, breaking the silence. "Do you think Matthew will get his transfer?"

Alfred thought for a moment. "No one else wants to be in Russia, so I think he will. I mean, it's winter time there and no one likes the cold. If they have a volunteer, I think they'll choose a volunteer, don't you?"

Arthur thought it over. "You have a point," he said. "But then you two will be separated again. Will you be okay?" He looked up at Alfred with his emerald green eyes. "It's more you that I'm worried about than anything."

"I'll be fine," Alfred said, smiling. "Because I have you."

"But you're so worried about him," Arthur said. He was quiet for a moment. "What did Matthew do, Alfred?"

Alfred's face fell for a moment as he went silent for a minute. "He tried to kill himself…" he quietly said. "He put the barrel of a pistol into his mouth in the middle of the night and was about to shoot, but I stopped him. I didn't tell anyone, but he eventually turned himself in. He was demoted and we were sent back here as punishment."

"Why were you punished?" Arthur asked, a look of sympathy in his eyes.

"Because I knew about it," Alfred said, frowning. "I knew that my brother almost killed himself and didn't tell anyone to keep his reputation secure. That would be the only reason why they wouldn't transfer him. But he needs the transfer. That's where Irunya is. And if anyone can pull him out of this, she can. I've never met the woman before, but I know how crazy Mattie is about her. I know that she can help him."

"You really care so much about your brother," Arthur said, smiling. "I hope he's okay. And I hope he sees this Irunya lass again soon. She sounds wonderful for him."

"I would have to agree with you on that," Alfred said with a nod. "And I know that if anyone can help my brother, she can." He was quiet for a moment. "Arthur, I'm sorry for not writing to you. I can't even begin to express how sorry I am. You were so worried about me, and I was so selfish for not writing. But it hurt so bad because I was never able to hear back. Hell, I didn't even know if the letters were even getting to you or not."

"They were," Arthur softly said. "And I memorized each and every one of them."

"You did?" Alfred softly asked, looking at him. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I didn't know which letter would be your last," Arthur admitted, blushing.

"God, you're such a nerd," Alfred said, smiling. He then leaned in and softly kissed Arthur. His hands reached between them and removed the book from Arthur's hands. "I love you so much," he said against the British man's lips. "You are everything to me."

"Likewise," Arthur said, wrapping his arms around Alfred's neck. He smiled into the kiss and moved to sit on Alfred's lap. There was nothing he loved more than intimate moments with Alfred. They showed how truly romantic Alfred really was capable of being.

Alfred smiled and placed his hands on Arthur's hips. "Tell me how much you love me," he encouraged. "I want to hear you say it. Compare me to things. Like this. I love you as much as I love walking by creeks in the summertime."

"And how much do you love that?" Arthur asked.

Alfred tightened his grip on Arthur's hips, arousing the British man further. "Well I guess that's for you to decide," he seductively whispered, kissing down Arthur's neck.

Arthur gasped out, tangling his fingers into Alfred's hair as he moaned softly. "Well I love you as much as I love drinking tea and on rainy days," he stated softly.

"Oh?" Alfred asked before kissing Arthur's lips.

"Guess how much that is," Arthur said, smiling as he kissed Alfred deeply. He ran his fingers through the American's hair as he kissed him. "Just take a wild guess."

"Only a lot," Alfred said, smiling as he kissed Arthur over and over. "God, I love you, Arthur Kirkland. You are amazing and perfect and wonderful to me."

"I could say the same to you," Arthur said. "But for now, I'll just have to say that the feeling is mutual, Alfred Foster Jones."

Alfred laughed and kissed Arthur again.


	16. Chapter 16

Late November, 1943, London

Alfred walked up to Arthur at Leon's school gates looking gloomy one day. There was no bounce in his step, no sparkle in his eyes, no smile on his face, no sign of happiness anywhere. It was just a flat, "Hello," and that was it.

Arthur's brow furrowed with concern. He hadn't seen Alfred this upset since the night he had kissed him for the first time. It worried him, but he didn't know what to say. "Is everything all right, Alfred?" he softly asked.

The American shook his head. "Not really," he said. "Do you remember that one time that I gave directions to those two Scandinavian guys when they came off the boat a few weeks ago?"

Arthur thought back to it. He vaguely remembered it. The day had been cold and he had to take Leon home as Alfred walked two blond men to the military offices or whatever. "Yes," he said, trying to sound more certain than uncertain.

"Well, I ran into Mathias at the base last night," Alfred softly said. "He was the taller of the two. We went out for drinks together, but I could tell something was bothering him." He went silent. "It wasn't until we were at the pub that I asked where Lukas was." His lip quivered a little as he shook his head with regret. "I knew I shouldn't have asked…" he whispered to himself.

"What happened to him?" Arthur asked, fearing the worst. He bit his lip in anticipation. Surely that Lukas bloke hadn't died already! Not after just a couple of weeks! It was too soon! That wouldn't be fair!

"He's dead," Alfred softly said. "His plane was shot down and destroyed. No one knows where the body is. Supposedly the Germans took it and destroyed it as well…" He looked up at Arthur, eyes glistening with tears. "How fucked up can those bastards really get?" he softly asked. "I get that this is war, but they are just taking it to a whole new level…"

Arthur wanted to reach out and hug him, kiss him, comfort him, but here was not the place to do that. "We'll talk more about it at home," he softly told Alfred. "Can you hang in there until then?"

Alfred took a deep breath and nodded. "I can," he said. "Thanks, Arthur. I knew I could talk to you."

"If you couldn't, who else could you talk to?" Arthur asked. "Matthew is back in Russia. How is that going, by the way?"

"Well," Alfred began, "he sent me pictures this time." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two pictures. "Look at these."

The first picture was a woman with short, silvery-blonde hair and large breasts holding a baby boy about six months old with blond hair and big, blue eyes. The baby boy had a wide smile and a curl in the front of his hair. Matthew was with them in the second picture, looking happier than he had in over a year.

"So that's Vlad," Arthur softly said, smiling. "He really does look just like you and Matthew." He smiled up at Alfred. "And Irunya is just lovely." His eyes studied her face. He really did find her beautiful, and he thought she suited Matthew well. "I'm glad that Matthew found her."

"So am I," Alfred said. He pointed at his brother in the picture. "Look at how happy Mattie is in this picture. I can't even imagine the look on his face when he found out he had a son…" A broad smile graced his face. "I still can't believe I'm an uncle. My brother is a father, Arthur. Mattie has a son…"

"What's his full name again?" Arthur asked. "I couldn't remember what last name she went with. I know you told me, but I just…"

"His full name is Vladyslav Matthew Williams," Alfred answered.

"Quite a mouthful for a kid," Arthur stated, smiling. "No wonder they just call him Vlad."

Alfred laughed. "Yeah, no kidding!" He smiled widely. "You think Leon would like to see the pictures of Vlad and Mattie and Irunya?"

"I think he would be delighted to," Arthur answered. He smiled down at the pictures once more, still in awe that Matthew was a father. "It's still hard to believe, you know? Matthew has a son now."

Alfred sighed out and smiled, tucking the pictures back into the breast pocket of his coat. "I know, right? It's so weird to think about. My brother, who is three days older than me, is a father! Mattie has a kid!" He looked over at the women who were starting to stare and winked to them, causing them to blush and start whispering amongst themselves. "Works every time," Alfred whispered to Arthur, leaning in toward him.

"What does?" Arthur indignantly, yet quietly, asked him.

"When I wink," Alfred softly answered, a sensual tone to his voice. "I know just what that does to you, Arthur."

Arthur turned a shade of crimson. "Stop that, Alfred!" he hissed under his breath. "We are in public!"

"I love how hot and bothered it makes you," Alfred quietly teased, knowing no one else could hear him. "It gets me pumped for possible nightly activities."

"Enough," Arthur hissed through clenched teeth. "Or there won't be any nightly activities tonight."

Alfred backed away, putting a hand over his heart as if Arthur had punched him there. "Ouch. You cut me deep, Arthur." He laughed when Arthur scoffed, looking toward the school. "Here he comes!"

Leon burst through the gates. "Alfred!" he called out, running to him. "Have you heard from Matthew yet?" He had asked Matthew that question every day since he heard that Matthew had a son. "Did he send pictures of the baby yet?"

"We'll just have to wait until we get back to your flat to find out, now won't we?" Alfred teased, grinning at the little boy.

"Oh, you're no fun," Leon grumbled, sticking his tongue out at the American.

Alfred laughed loudly. "Come on, buddy, let's get you home so you can see the pictures of my nephew."

"So he did write back!" Leon excitedly cried out. "I'm so excited to see Vlad! I bet he looks like Matthew! He has to! Didn't you and him both say that all boys born in your family look alike?"

"So you do pay attention to someone after all," Arthur bitterly scoffed, shooting a glare at Alfred, who shrugged apologetically.

"Oh, Daddy, I do listen to you sometimes," Leon said, looking away. "I just have other things to listen to at times as well. It's like there's an inner voice in my head."

"We all have that," Arthur sighed. "And yours should be telling you to listen to me," he irritably grumbled. "I honestly don't know what's gotten into you these past few months. You've been listening more to Alfred than me, and I don't appreciate that, young man."

Leon sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not doing anything bad, Daddy, okay? Just leave the topic alone. It's fine," he groaned. "Let's just go home."

Arthur groaned and followed along as Alfred tried to quietly assure him that it was nothing against him, that all kids hit a stage like this, that Leon was just hitting it at a very, very early age.

.

Arthur leaned heavily against Alfred that night on the couch after Leon went to bed. He didn't want to think about Leon's rebellious attitude. All he wanted to do was sit and distract Alfred from his problems, and he would do anything to make Alfred stop hurting. His hand caressed Alfred's jaw as he sighed.

"What was the sigh for, Arthur?" Alfred asked. He put his hand over Arthur's. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, love," Arthur assured. "Is everything all right for you?"

"Since I'm here with you, everything is going great," Alfred answered. He slid a hand down to Arthur's lower stomach and trapped the British man between his legs. "You always put me in a great mood, even if you're all bitter and angry today."

"Bitter and angry?" Arthur scoffed. "That's what you think. I feel fine today."

"You almost threw your spoon at me while we were eating soup for dinner," Alfred answered, sliding his hand to the waistline of Arthur's trousers. "Was that really- Oh, how did you put it?- fine?"

Arthur's breath hitched when he realized where Alfred's hand was, yet he didn't ask him to move it. "So maybe I'm a bit upset from Leon's rebellious attitude," he softly stated. "But that doesn't mean that…" His voice trailed off as Alfred's hand slid into his trousers, causing him to moan out softly as it came into contact with his member. "Alfred," he sighed out, closing his eyes.

"That's my name," Alfred sensually whispered into Arthur's ear before nibbling his earlobe, causing Arthur to moan a little more. "So tell me more about your worries, Arthur. I'm going to make it all better."

Arthur felt as if he were in a trance for a moment or two before snapping out of it. No matter how good Alfred's hand felt, that wasn't what Arthur should be doing at that moment. If anything, Arthur should be the one doing that to Alfred. He pulled Alfred's hand out, much to the American's surprise and turned to face him, straddling his hips. "Not so fast, Alfred," he seductively whispered. "Weren't you the one who needed the love first?"

Alfred's eyes widened. "Oh," he said before smirking. "What do you want to do to me?"

"Well that depends," Arthur continued. "What do you want to have done to you?"

The American's eyes were suddenly filled with lust. "So I get to choose?" he asked, smirking. "Why don't I get to choose something that will benefit both of us? Something that we haven't done since I first got back?"

Arthur's eyes widened. "You want to have sex, Alfred?" he asked, although his heart raced madly in his chest at just the thought of it. There was nothing he wanted more, yet he was worried that Leon would wake up since his bedroom was right next to his.

Alfred nodded. "But not just anywhere. I want to have sex while taking a bath, Arthur. Like we did the first night we ever did it," he said, raising his eyebrows seductively.

That sent Arthur's blood pumping. The bathroom was a safe enough distance from Leon's room that they could indeed have sex in there without getting caught by him. "Yes," Arthur said before kissing Alfred's lips over and over. "Yes, let's do it. Let's go." He jumped up off of Alfred's lap. "Let's do it right now, Alfred." His hands clutched at Alfred's as he coaxed the American to his feet. "Come on."

Alfred stood and laughed quietly. "Eager, aren't we?" he teased.

Arthur scowled at him, yet he couldn't stop himself from being excited. "I'll go and get the bathwater running," he said. "Come join me when you're not being an ass." He hurried off toward the bathroom.

Alfred laughed and followed after him. When he opened the door to the bathroom, the water was running and Arthur was already shirtless, which was exactly what he wanted to see personally. He shut the door after him. "Want me to lock this?" he asked.

Arthur grinned at him and reached behind him, locking it himself. "Now you're all mine," he seductively stated. "Private Jones, for the time being I wish to be Captain Kirkland."

"Oh, you do?" Alfred asked, smirking and playing along. "What kinds of orders do you have for me, sir?"

"Private Jones, I need you to undress for me," Arthur stated, standing at attention. "I understand that you may…" He completely lost his train of thought as Alfred began to follow through with his orders. His lover's golden skin and muscular torso caused Arthur to go silent and just gaze at him. "And afterwards, I need you to finish undressing me."

Alfred smirked at him as he began to take off his own pants. "Oh really, Captain Kirkland?" He winked at Arthur, almost causing a stutter in the British man's heart. "I would gladly do so." His smirk turned to a broad smile as he finished undressing and stood in front of Arthur before leaning in and kissing him deeply for a moment. "Sorry, I should have asked permission first. Permission to kiss you once more, sir."

"Permission granted, Private Jones," Arthur stated with a brief nod.

Alfred perched Arthur on the edge of the bathtub and undid his trousers as he kissed him. He then picked him up off the edge of the tub and set him back on his feet before pulling the trousers and boxers down to his ankles. "Undressed, sir," he said, stepping back. "Prepare for the pleasure of the night, brought by yours truly."

Arthur laughed softly as he kicked off his trousers, boxers and socks. He turned off the water and gestured to the tub. "After you, Private Jones," he stated.

"Don't mind if I do," Alfred said, climbing in. He sat down and spread his legs across the bottom of the tub, leaving room for Arthur between them. "Your spot, Captain Kirkland. It's the best seat in the house."

The British man had to stifle a laugh as he got in, seating himself between Alfred's legs and leaning back against his chest. He wasn't ready for sex just yet. They had to work their way up to it, like they usually did. He had no problem with that, though. That was always just as fun as the intercourse.

Alfred reached in front of them and grabbed Arthur's length, stroking it gently. He nibbled at Arthur's earlobe for a moment before kissing down his neck. "Turn to face me," he whispered low into Arthur's ear.

Arthur held his breath in anticipation and did as told. He smiled at Alfred and placed his hands on his lover's sturdy shoulders as he kissed him deeply feeling Alfred's fingers making their way lower and lower until...Arthur's breath hitched as the first one slipped inside of him.

"You okay?" Alfred asked him, kissing his cheek.

"Why do you have such bloody big fingers?" Arthur complained as he got used to Alfred's finger being there. He kissed Alfred, which was their signal to go ahead and continue. He squeezed his eyes shut as the second finger went in. He hadn't thought this all the way through. Water wasn't exactly the best lubricant…

"I'm sorry," Alfred said, gently kissing Arthur's eyelids. "You'll feel good soon, I promise," he said, scissoring his fingers around slightly after receiving a kiss from Arthur. "I just need to make sure you're ready for the good stuff."

Arthur nodded, gasping out slightly. "Right," he gasped, slightly pained. He didn't want to stop, though. He knew that the pain he was experiencing at the moment would be worth it in the end. Though he could never get used to this feeling without the proper lubricant. To make it end faster, he just leaned in and kissed Alfred.

"Ready?" Alfred asked, removing his fingers.

Arthur nodded. "Just do it already," he impatiently said.

"Right away, sir," Alfred said before thrusting in.

Tears came to Arthur's eyes as he squeezed them shut so Alfred didn't see them and worry. Now came the part that was the hardest, getting used to Alfred inside of him. He had done this before, three other times. He could do it again. It would just take a moment of sitting and waiting for the pain to subside.

When it finally did, Arthur could only feel pleasure coursing through the lower half of his body. He leaned in and kissed Alfred's lips with so much passion that he nearly passed out from the mix of pleasure and passion. "Now fuck me good and hard," Arthur whispered against Alfred's lips.

"Yes, sir," Alfred said back. "Right away, sir."

.

Arthur leaned against his favorite American once more that night after their bath. They were back in the living room again. "Thank you, Alfred," he said, smiling. "I had a rather enjoyable night."

"You think you did?" Alfred laughed. "I'd have to say mine was the best. I've been dying to sleep with you again. And now that I finally did, I would have to say that I've had a rather amazing night thanks to you, Arthur." He kissed Arthur's cheek. "So thank you for that."

"I love you, Alfred Jones," Arthur said, sighing out happily. He turned his head to kiss Alfred's lips. "You and Leon are my world. Please stay a part of it."

"I promise I will," Alfred said, smiling. "I'm not going anywhere until you kick me out for good."

"Why would I ever do such a thing?" Arthur asked. He caressed Alfred's cheek with his hand. "You're too amazing to do something like that to. After all, you are mine and Leon's world. I'd hate to know what Leon would do if you were to just suddenly stop coming around. He loves you so much, Alfred. You are all he ever talks about in the mornings. I'm so glad you stopped those kids from bullying him on that one day. If you hadn't done that, then maybe we may have never met you. And what a shame that would really be, wouldn't it?"

"It would be the worst," Alfred said. "Because then maybe I just never would have found my place in this world."

"Oh really?" Arthur asked. "And where is that?"

"Right by your side."


	17. Chapter 17

May, 1945, London

Alfred couldn't believe it had been two years since he had returned to London. He knew it was supposed to be a military punishment for knowing about a former ally attempting suicide, but he never considered it a punishment. After all, he was able to be with Arthur until the end of the war, and that was enough for him. That would always be enough for him.

He finally finished setting up the new radio he finally was able to buy Arthur and Leon after hearing the story of how Arthur had smashed their last one. He wouldn't settle for just any radio. It had to be just like the one that was smashed.

Arthur walked in with a cool glass of water for him. "Thank you, Mr. Hero," he said, smirking as he offered Alfred the water. He smiled when Alfred accepted the glass.

"Just don't break this one too," Alfred said with a wink. He began to drink the water before kissing Alfred. "What do you say we turn it on and do some dancing? It's been too long, don't you think?"

Arthur blushed. "If you insist," he said. He reached down and turned the knob. Instead of music, they heard a news broadcast. "What is this?" he asked no one in particular and turned it up. His emerald eyes widened in shock. "Alfred! Do you hear this?!"

Alfred looked to Arthur as he listened intently.

"...And with those words, Hitler surrendered…" the voice on the radio announced.

"Is that for real?" Alfred asked in shock. His blue eyes were wide with awe. "This isn't a false news report, is it?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, not at all," he said. He jumped as shouts were heard in the streets outside of the flat. "Come on," he said, grabbing Alfred's hand. He was confused as he was stopped by Alfred holding him back. "Alfred, don't you want to go out there and celebrate with everyone else?"

Alfred suddenly dipped Arthur low and kissed him passionately. "Arthur, it's over! It's truly over!" he excitedly almost-shouted. "The war is over! No more fighting!" He then laced his fingers through Arthur's and took off toward the door, Arthur trailing behind before they put their shoes on.

Alfred burst through Arthur's front door and ran out into the street, Arthur hot on his heels after locking his front door. He was amazed by all of the people he saw in the streets. They were everywhere, shouting and singing and laughing and dancing and celebrating. His eyes took in all of the color he saw everywhere. It overwhelmed him with emotion.

"Arthur!" he yelled to be heard over the noise. He found him and took him into the nearest alley to be heard. "Arthur, I love you," he said, smiling.

"I am aware," Arthur said, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "And I love you as well, love. Why are you suddenly doing this? Are you overwhelmed?"

Alfred shook his head. "No, that's not it." He leaned in closer. "The war is over, Arthur. That means my time in Europe is up…"

Arthur's eyes widened in understanding. No, he thought. No, you can't leave me. I can't let you leave me. He shook his head. "No," he mumbled. "No, you can't leave me like this, Alfred. I can't let you."

Alfred frowned, which really didn't suit his face in Arthur's opinion. "I'm going to quit the American military," he said. "I will resign and join the British military and move here to be with you and Leon forever." He then blushed. "That is, if you'll have me."

Arthur's eyes widened even more. "Wait, what? What are you saying?" he asked in shock. "Are you saying what I think you're saying? You mean…"

"I know we can't get married, but we can pretend, can't we?" Alfred asked, smiling. "I'll stay with you for the rest of my life, even if we can't be married. I already know I'll never love anyone the way I love you. I've accepted that you're the only man for me. Please let me be with you. Forever."

Arthur smiled. "You really mean this, Alfred? You want to stay with me forever? You want to live with me and Leon?"

"I want to raise your son with you," Alfred said, smiling. "I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. I love you, Arthur. And I will love you until the day I die. I'm sure of it. So let me prove that, Arthur. Let me prove my honest and pure and true love to you."

"I will," Arthur said, smiling. "Or should I say 'I do'?" He smirked at Alfred. "What do you say we go inside to celebrate?"

Alfred grinned. "Celebrate what?" he teasingly asked.

"Well we're life partners now, aren't we?" Arthur asked, smiling. "Life partners. For life, Alfred. No giving up on what we have, got it?" He then smiled. "Now, let's go inside and mess around a bit. After all, we have about an hour before we have to leave to pick up our son, right?"

Alfred's smile could barely fit on his face. "You know, I really like the sound of that," he said. "So you mean it? You really want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Yes," Arthur said, smiling. "I really do, Alfred. I couldn't imagine anything I would want more in life. I want to be your life partner. I want to raise Leon with you. And I want to wake up next to you every damn morning, knowing that you are mine for the rest of my life. There is absolutely nothing more in this whole bloody world that I want more than that."

Alfred was beaming. "Then let's get inside as fast as we can," he said, smiling. He left the alleyway, Arthur hot on his heels as the two made their way inside to celebrate their newest, most wonderful life decision.

.

Leon ran out of the school gates when school ended. "Dad, Alfred, did you hear?! The war is over!" he cried out excitedly. He hugged them both at the same time. "We won!"

"That we did," Alfred said, smiling. "And you will always be safe now."

Arthur smiled up at Alfred. "Leon, we have to tell you something when we get home. I think you will like it, though."

Leon looked between the two as something dawned on him. "Wait a moment. Why are you two so happy?" Though he was only eight-years-old, he couldn't be fooled. He knew what was going to happen to Alfred within the next couple weeks. "Alfred, you're leaving, aren't you?"

Alfred looked at him. "We'll talk about it when we get back to you house, okay, kiddo?"

The whole walk home, Leon had a frown on his face and didn't want to talk to either of them. Even Arthur could tell that the boy was devastated that his hero was leaving to go back to America. And once home, Leon sat in silence in the living room, not even motivated to start his homework.

Alfred sat on the couch across from the armchair that Leon was sprawled out on. "You know your dad won't like you sitting in that chair like that," he softly scolded the boy. "We both know how picky he is about furniture."

"I don't care," Leon huffed, turning away from Alfred. "It's not like you'll be here to tell me what to do much longer anyway."

"On the contrary," Arthur stated walking in. "Alfred will only be gone for about a week or two, Leon. So you had better shape up."

Leon immediately sat properly in the chair. "What are you talking about, Dad? You mean he's not leaving for good?"

"I'm going to join the British military," Alfred said. "I'm pretty sure Mattie and I will be kicked from the American one anyway. They don't like people like us in it. Secret keepers don't exactly get good reputations." He smiled at the small Chinese boy. "That means I'll still be here for you to boss around. You only get about a month of vacation from me and then I'm here for good. What do you have to say to that?"

The boy blinked in surprise before leaping over the coffee table and throwing himself into Alfred's arms, laughing and crying simultaneously. "I can't believe it! You never once lied when you said I'd get to have two parents! You kept your promise!"

"And you don't care that it's two dads?" Alfred asked him. "You're sure you don't mind that?"

Leon shook his head. "I don't mind at all. And I'm sure my Mum would be happy to know that Dad has finally found someone that he's finally happy with. Don't you think so, Dad?"

Arthur smiled at his son. "I would think she would be glad to know that I've finally found love again," he agreed. "She would have wanted this for us, Leon." He thought about it. Maybe Mei is smiling down at them from Heaven. Maybe she's happy that he finally found a new love to help him continue on with his love life. "But remember, this is a family secret."

"I know," Leon said happily. "I'm just so happy that I finally have two parents!" He laughed happily. "I can finally be like the other kids at school!"

"But secretly," Alfred reminded. "Bad things could happen if you tell anyone."

"I've kept the secret for two years," Leon reminded. "And I'll keep it for as long as you need me to." He smiled proudly. "I'm a good secret keeper, Alfred."

Alfred ruffled Leon's hair. "That you are, my boy."

Leon smiled happily. "I like the sound of that," he said. "I mean, I always liked my dad saying that, but it sounds good when you say it too."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Arthur said, smiling. "Alfred, you were born to be a father. It may not be to biological children of yours, but maybe you were born to be a wonderful father or uncle to Matthew's children."

Alfred smiled. "I can't believe I have a niece now," he mused. "She doesn't look too much like Mattie, though. I think she looks more like Irunya. But damn, Vlad looks like Matt."

"You got a picture of Olivia, didn't you?" Arthur asked, looking at Alfred.

"Not just of her," Alfred said. "It's her, Mattie, and Vlad!"

He pulled out a picture of a little boy sitting on the lap of his father, Matthew, who looked just like him but without glasses, who was holding a baby with silvery-blonde hair that had a white bow in it. The baby was wearing a white dress and her eyes were open wide and were the softest of blues like her mother's. It was a beautiful family photo.

"When was this taken?" Arthur asked, looking at the picture. He smiled at the sight of the little girl. "Olivia is beautiful, no doubt. What is her middle name again?"

"Genevieve," Alfred answered. "Named after Matthew's late mother." He smiled. "This was taken just after her Christening." He smiled. "They're getting married when they get to America, so Irunya can become a citizen. Mattie says she's changing her name as well."

"What's she changing her name to?" Arthur asked, handing the picture back. "I think her name is rather lovely." He sat down on the couch with Alfred and Leon, ruffling his son's hair fondly. "It suits her rather beautifully."

"She's changing it to Irene," Alfred said. "She wants to be more American. But she doesn't want to change Vlad's name because she wants him to always remember where he came from. I don't know. She's a little confusing, I guess."

"I'd say," Arthur said. He smiled. "But all that matters is that they're all happy; Matthew, Irunya, Vlad, and Olivia." His hands went to Alfred's as he kissed his lover's cheek.

Over the past year or so, Arthur had grown more comfortable with Leon knowing about him and Alfred and the relationship between them. Though Leon didn't know the full extent of it, he had seen them kiss a few times when they knew he was there and had caught them in a full-on makeout a few times when they didn't know he was there. Both men were very embarrassed about the latter.

Leon was very accepting about his father's relationship with Alfred, having wanted it since the day Alfred had rescued him from the bullies at his school. He had intentionally brought Alfred for the sole purpose of him meeting his father and possibly rescuing him from himself, which had worked. And when Alfred had done just that, rescued Arthur from his alcoholism, that was when he had become Leon's hero. That was when Leon was certain that he wanted Alfred to be his other parent. He wanted it more than anything, even if he was never allowed to tell another soul.

"We'll all be happy, too," Leon said, smiling widely. "Won't we, Dad?"

Arthur smiled warmly at his son. "Yes," he answered, nodding confidently. "We will all be so happy. Nothing will tear our family apart, I promise. After all, we've been a family for about four years now, haven't we?"

Alfred smiled. "That we have," he said, nodding. "And they've been the best four years of my life." He grinned at Leon. "How about we get some juice and make a toast?"

"A toast to what?" Leon asked as Arthur went to get the juice and glasses.

"You'll see," Alfred said. "Now let's go to the kitchen so we don't make a mess in here."

The three of them gathered around the table with glasses of apple cider. Alfred stood at the head of it, smiling, while Leon and Arthur stood on the sides.

"What's this all about, love?" Arthur asked, standing there with his glass.

"Yeah," Leon interjected. "I want to know as well. Why are we making a random toast?"

"When I was younger, I never really had a family other than Mattie," Alfred began. He looked down into his glass of cider. "It was always just the two of us. I just want to say, I'm glad that I have the perfect family now. I have the best man at my side, and the most perfect son I could ever ask for." He smiled and wiped a tear of joy from his eye. "I am honestly so blessed."

"And you think we're not?" Arthur asked, smiling at him. He leaned toward Alfred and softly kissed him. "Here's a toast to Alfred, who made all of us a family. We wouldn't be the family we are today if it weren't for him."

Leon raised his glass to that, knowing that it was true. "I agree with Dad," he said, smiling.

"I thought I was making the toast," Alfred softly said.

"There was a change of plans," Arthur said. "You wanted to make a toast to your family, right? Well it looks like your family is making a toast to you. You made us all who we are today. You made Leon confident in who he is. You stopped my dependence on alcohol. Alfred, you are our hero. Don't you see that? We'd be nothing without you. So here's to you, Al. Cheers!"

At that moment, they all clinked their glasses together as Alfred sniffled a little and wiped his tears away under his glasses with his free hand. It was the first of many moments they shared as a family.

.

The End


	18. Epilogue

20 Years Later

Arthur stared out his kitchen window, waiting for any sign of Leon. He was hoping he would come to this family gathering that he and Alfred had planned, though he knew that Leon and Alfred weren't on the best of terms since the Korean war. Arthur had wanted to knock Alfred senseless for the comment he had made, and Leon had never forgiven him for it.

Alfred walked up behind Arthur and wrapped his arms around his lover's waist, smiling. "Any sign of him yet?" he asked, kissing Arthur's cheek.

The British man sighed. "No," he answered with a frown, peering harder out the window, as if it would make Leon show up faster. "I doubt he'd show up. I had to beg him, you know."

Alfred frowned. "Look, I've apologized to him countless times," he stated. "What else more can I do? I've tried so many times to get back on his good side."

"And for that I'm grateful," Arthur assured, kissing Alfred's cheek. He sighed. "I just hope he'll forgive one day…"

"Is he bringing anyone with him?" Alfred asked, raising his eyebrows and smiling. "I would love to see that 'friend' of his again."

"As would I," Arthur answered with a sigh, "but who knows. I have to beg him to even come alone these days. At least I had a reasonable excuse this time, being able to use your brother and his family as bait." He glanced at the clock before focusing his gaze on the window once more. "What time are they getting here again?"

"Anytime now," Alfred answered. The doorbell rang just after he said that. "That must be them." He quickly kissed Arthur and squeezed his hips, sporting the smile that Arthur loved so dearly. "He'll be here," he assured.

Arthur nodded as Alfred left, gazing back out the window. "Leon, where are you?" he whispered to himself.

.

12 Years Previous

Arthur would never forget the day his son was expelled from his boarding school. He remembered driving up to the school and seeing Leon standing next to a boy with snowy white hair and large, violet eyes, his hand held firmly by Leon's.

Arthur had raised his eyebrows in surprise when he got out of the car. "Leon, do you mind telling me what this is about?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the car.

"It's really nothing, Dad," Leon answered, looking at his feet, and then to the boy next to him. "I just…" He gestured to the boy with his free hand. "This is Emil Steilsson, my roommate. Or at least he used to be."

"I'm pleased to meet you, sir," Emil stated, shaking Arthur's hand with hi free one.

Another car pulled up and a man who looked similar in the face to Emil got out of it. He had blond hair and deep blue eyes. "Emil, what the fuck is…" His voice trailed off when he saw the two boys' hands clasped tightly together. "I know what's going on…."

Arthur glanced over at the man, remembering him from years ago, but it couldn't be that man. He was supposed to be dead, wasn't he? Arthur remembered Alfred sobbing after the man's funeral as he looked at a picture of him. He had been a fighter pilot during the war in which they had met, though he had died when his plane had been shot down, or so Arthur thought. His name escaped Arthur at that moment in time, for it had been so long, but Arthur never forgot that face from the picture from that funeral.

"Lukas, please," he heard Emil beg. "You must understand. I didn't mean to get expelled…"

All of the memories came flooding back to Arthur when he heard the name "Lukas". Of course! Lukas Bondevik! Alfred had shown him and his friend Mathias the way to the British military base all those years ago and weeks later, Lukas's plane had been shot down. Though how Lukas was standing before him was something he would never understand. If Alfred knew something about it, it must have been kept confidential in the military, and that was fine with Arthur.

"I do understand," Lukas said, walking over to them. He stared at Leon for a long moment before placing a hand on each boy's shoulders, his slim fingers digging into each of their arms as he leaned in toward them and whispered something to them that Arthur couldn't hear, but both boys nodded when he was finished. "I'm glad you two understand as well." He turned to Arthur. "You must be Leon's father." Lukas held out a hand to him. "I'm Lukas Bondevik. I understand you are quite familiar with an old friend of mine, Alfred F. Jones. Please send my regards."

"They will be sent," Arthur said with a nod. "I am Arthur Kirkland. I vaguely remember you from your first day here. I was with Alfred the day he showed you to the base."

Lukas's eyes widened. "That was you?" he asked in surprise. He then turned to Leon. "Then that must mean that little one with you was Leon?! No way! He was so small back then! He couldn't have been older than six!"

Arthur smiled. "I am glad that you remember us. Now since you seem to be having a better understanding of this than I do, could you please explain to me what happened?"

"Why not have Leon tell you himself?" Lukas asked, gesturing for Arthur's son to walk over. "Leon, tell your father what you and my brother did."

Arthur waited patiently until he heard Leon's voice croak out, "I got caught having sex with Emil…" Leon's face was bright red, though not nearly as red as Emil's.

Lukas looked over at Emil. "So there you have it," he stated. "Seems like the kids have feelings for each other."

Arthur blushed at how open Lukas was about it. "How are you so open about this in public?" he asked Lukas.

"It's not too big of a deal to me," Lukas answered. "And I know two men who would tell them to be proud of this part of themselves. Those two men were their ages when they discovered this side of themselves as well."

"I see," Arthur said with a nod. "It's not too big of a deal to me either, if I'm honest." He saw a faint smile play on Leon's lips. "I will never be ashamed of my son getting kicked out of school for something like this."

"They only said we can't be in the military is all," Leon said with a shrug. "I don't consider it as much of a loss, though. I'll leave the fighting to Alfred. He does a good job of it."

Arthur smiled at his son. "Let's just get you home, Leon."

Leon nodded. "Before I go, I must ask you and Lukas one thing," he said. "Is it all right for me to see Emil again outside of here? He mentioned you live in London," he added to Lukas.

Lukas shrugged indifferently. "I don't see why not."

"I see no harm in it either," Arthur answered. "After all, there is no harm in anything that you did. To each his own. Some men like women. Some don't. There is nothing wrong with you or what you did."

Lukas smiled softly at Arthur. "That's some great parenting you're doing there. Keep it up, Kirkland. We'll see you around." He ushered Emil toward their car.

Once in the car, Leon turned to Arthur. "Dad, I think I'm in love with him," he told Arthur. "Is that okay for me to be in love with Emil? Is that normal?"

"Who cares about normal?" Arthur softly asked. "Do what makes you happy first, and then think about 'normal' later, okay?"

Leon nodded. "Okay," he said. He sat in silence for a moment. "Thanks, Dad."

.

12 Years Later

Arthur threw open the door when he saw Leon and Emil approaching it. He wrapped an arm around each of them, smiling widely. "It's so wonderful to see the two of you!" he excitedly said. "I am so happy to see you!"

Leon hugged him back. "How are you, Dad?" he asked, smiling. His smile faded when he saw Alfred standing behind Arthur, awaiting a hug as well. "Do I have to hug him?" he asked Arthur when he pulled away.

"Now, Leon," Arthur began. "I know that you're twenty-eight, so it's up to you who you hug and who you don't hug, but it would make me happy if you did."

Leon hesitantly hugged Alfred as well, a look of disgust on his face. He said no words of greeting or anything like that, just hugged him and left it at that before going off to find Matthew and his family to hug them and talk to them, Emil hot on his heels.

"He still hates me," Alfred sighed. "I wish I could go back in time so I could have never said what I did."

"Don't we all?" Arthur said with a frown. He cupped Alfred's cheek in his hand. "Alfred, he'll see how sorry you are soon enough. Just wait for that day to come along, okay?" He put a hand on his collar and pulled him in for a kiss. "But in the meantime, I still love you. Does that work for now?"

"I guess it can tide me over," Alfred mock sighed. He put his hands on Arthur's hips and kissed him deeply, smiling into it. "Arthur, I could kiss you a million times and still never get used to it. I would never want to get used to it. I love you."

"Break it up, 'Mom and Dad'," Leon huffed. "Uncle Matt and Aunt Irene want us all in the living room." With that, he turned on his heel and went back to the living room.

Alfred sighed. "He really hates me…"

"I remember the days when he used to like you more than me," he reminisced. "To be honest, I sometimes wish we could return to them. At least we didn't have to fight all the time."

.

When dinnertime came, there was a tight squeeze at the table. Alfred and Arthur at at either end. Emil and Leon sat together on one side while Matthew and his wife Irene, who used to be known as Irunya, sat on the other with their two youngest children, twins, Emmet and Helen. They all looked like a real family. The only one who seemed to really stick out was Leon, even though he was more a part of that family than Emil was.

"Leon, would you say grace?" Arthur asked, smiling to his son.

"Sure," Leon huffed. He bowed his head and closed his eyes as everyone else did as well. "Dear Lord, thank you for this great day that we can all spend as a family. Thank you that Matthew and Irene are here from Iowa to spend time with us. I'm glad that we're all able to have this opportunity to be together under the same roof. In your son's name I pray, amen."

There was a small chorus of "amens" distributed around the table before the clinking of silverware against the plates as they all began to slowly eat. Small talk conversation was held as they all ate so no one would step on toes or become upset in any way at all, mainly Alfred and Leon.

"So, Uncle Matt, do you like it in Iowa?" Leon asked him after swallowing a bite of potatoes.

Matthew thought about it. "We've been considering moving out to New York. That's where Vlad is, and Olivia is in North Carolina," he answered. "So if we move our family out that way, we would also be closer to you all as well."

Leon nodded. "That's true. It's just the last time I went to Iowa, I was maybe thirteen," he said, thinking back on it. "I really liked it, and I wanted to show Emil sometime. From what I can remember, Des Moines was a swell town."

"It really was, but you should see what New York is like these days," Matthew answered. "There is so much opportunity out there for anyone!"

Emil's eyes widened. "Really? I've never been anywhere in America. You see, when I was younger, I lived all over Norway and Sweden until I moved here to London when I was about seven," he said. "That's when my life really started. Of course that was right after my mother died and my brother took me in and raised me with his partner."

"You were raised by two men as well, Emil?" Irene asked, suddenly interested. "That's interesting that the two of you have similar backgrounds," she said referring to him and Leon. "It's as if you two were a match made in Heaven or something like that." She smiled happily at the two men in front of her. "That makes me happy that you two can relate to each other so well."

"Yeah, and his dad is my brother's partner's age," Emil said, smiling. "It's a small world." He grabbed Leon's thigh under the table, causing Leon's cheeks to flare up, yet Leon didn't say a word as he did the same to Emil, which received the same reaction. "I'm just so glad that I got Leon for a roommate in high school, or maybe I never would have ever found out what it was truly like to be happy."

Irene smiled widely. "Matvey, they're so perfect for each other," she practically squealed. "Young love always makes me happy. Don't you remember when we were that young?"

Matthew smiled. "I do," he said. "It seems like ages ago, though." He looked over at her. "But you're still just as beautiful as the day we met."

"Stop that," she said, blushing. "You still know how to make me blush like you always used to."

Alfred smiled, watching his brother flirt with his wife. He only wished it were possible for him to get married like that, so maybe he and Arthur could be happy like that as well one day. Just the thought of not being able to marry Arthur like he had always wanted to since the day he had fallen for him put a frown on Alfred's face. Maybe one day, but he hoped that day would come soon, while they were still able to.

.

Arthur watched Alfred from his side of the bed as the American paced at the end of the bed that night in his pajamas. Finally, he had enough and snapped his book shut, sliding off his reading glasses. "Just what the bloody hell are you doing?" he quietly asked, not wanting to wake anyone else in the house. He had invited Leon and Emil to stay the night since Matthew and his family had decided to stay in a hotel while they were in town. He was overjoyed when Leon finally agreed to stay. "Alfred, it's past midnight. Get into bed, now."

"I want to take it back," Alfred said. "If I could just take back what I said, I would. I know he's awake. I went to use the bathroom and the light in their room is still on. Maybe if I just knocked, I could…"

"Alfred, get into bed," Arthur hissed at him, folding down the blankets for him. "I swear to God, if you send our son packing like that in the middle of the night, you're sleeping in the other room for the next three weeks. I mean it."

Alfred reluctantly crawled into bed next to Arthur, placing his glasses on the nightstand on his side. He wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist and snuggled up against him, resting his head on Arthur's stomach. "Then may I in the morning?"

"We'll see," Arthur sighed. Seeing as he wasn't going to get any more reading done that night, he decided to take off his glasses and place them on top of his book on his nightstand. He laid down in bed and snuggled his lover. "Alfred, he was deeply hurt by that comment. It wasn't that you even said it that hurt him, it was the timing, love."

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked.

"Think about it," Arthur said. "You had said it to him when he got home from school just after he was expelled for having sex with another boy. You just had to open your mouth and say, 'Good thing you can't be in the army then. My men could've mistaken you for an enemy soldier in the Korean War.' Alfred, you can't say things like that to him and not expect him to hate you."

Alfred frowned. "I didn't mean it like that. It was one of my no-filter moments." He sighed. "And now he'll hate me forever for it."

"Maybe not forever," Arthur said. "Just for now. And he doesn't hate you. If he didn't, he wouldn't have thanked God for being able to eat with you today. One thing I know about my son is that he would never lie to God in a prayer, especially about you, love." He kissed Alfred's forehead.

Alfred smiled a little. "You mean it?"

Arthur smiled. "I do." He was quiet for a moment. "Things can't be fixed between you and Leon overnight, but you just have to give him time, and he will forgive you. I know he will. Our boy loves you more than he knows, Alfred. He always will."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Alfred asked, yawning. "He really seems to hate me right now. I'm almost certain he'll always hate me." He snuggled closer to Arthur, wanting to be closer to him for comfort more so than anything.

"How can I be so sure?" Arthur almost laughed. "Because I guess I remember something you don't. Alfred, you are, and always will be Leon's hero. No matter what, he'll always be watching you and what you do. That's why what you said hurt him so badly, because he couldn't believe that his hero said something like that about him." Arthur kissed Alfred softly. "Face it," he said, smiling to his lover. "You're his hero, and you're stuck like that. How does that make you feel?"

"Honest opinion?" Alfred asked.

"Naturally," Arthur said.

"That makes me pretty damn proud."

.

The End

(For Reals This Time)


End file.
